


A Rose By Any Other Name

by snowyfoxpaws



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Human, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-12
Updated: 2015-10-15
Packaged: 2018-01-19 02:21:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 31,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1451929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowyfoxpaws/pseuds/snowyfoxpaws
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alfred is a college student desperately in love with an omega florist whom he has never even spoken to. Perhaps, with a bit of intervention, the alpha can woo the man of his dreams.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt provided by someone who inspires me. Keep being awesome, you!

Over the last two years, Alfred's family had thought that Alfred had become a coffee enthusiast.

It was the only time that they had ever known where the young man would get up early even on days where he didn't have work or class. With this new schedule, he would head down to the local coffee shop that was run by an alpha named Francis who demanded quality from his products. As a long-time friend, Alfred received discounts for not only his loyalty and enthusiasm for the product, but also for looking so devastatingly gorgeous as he sat out on the small deck, attracting attention which, naturally, brought in customers. Or, at least, that was what Francis had told him.

The fellow alpha had said he just looked so very aloof and consumed by thought that when a passerby saw him they hesitated, often considering by chance the location, and sometimes even purchasing something.

Even though Alfred had moved out last term, managing to get his own apartment, he still continued with the ritual of going daily for a cup of coffee and spending half an hour at the shop before leaving.

So when he had gone out of his way to invite his omega brother, Matthew, the twin had been slightly surprised. Living at home as he did, it meant they would have to travel there separately, but he had accepted out of curiosity for this apparently fantastic coffee made by some eccentric, French alpha.

And so they sat there, both boys reclined in elaborate, specialized chairs, Alfred in a slightly graceful sprawl and Matthew much more upright and alert. Francis made short work of coming out specially to get their order, even taking a moment to flirt with Matthew to which Alfred appeared to only half-notice.

Which was... very strange, really. Alfred had beaten the life out of alphas for less. Matthew fancied the idea that maybe living on his own had changed his brother for the better. It would be a relief, if nothing else.

Drinks were brought out quickly and even a sweet dessert for  _'the omega whom has stolen my heart'_. Alfred was given a pastry too, just because, but it was the thought that counted.

Looking at the elaborate spread and, aware of their discounted price, Matthew gave his brother an understanding glance. "I see why you come here now."

"Hm? Oh--," Alfred blinked at him from across the small table, laughing slightly as he picked up his coffee as though noticing it for the first time. Well,  _coffee_  was the general word for it-- it was more like milk and espresso and whatever else was put in to make it a liquid sugar bomb, but it seemed strangely refined for Alfred who Matthew had known to be just as soon to drink his calories from a McDonald's milkshake. "Yeah, this place is awesome, huh?" The alpha preened slightly. "I told you so."

"I never doubted you, Al." Matthew said, rolling his eyes as a bit of mirth made his lips twitch up. They hadn't spent time together like this in a while. It was nice.

"So, uh... I sort of... had ulterior motives for asking you here..."

Okay, perhaps it wasn't as nice as Matthew had first thought. He frowned as he fidgeted with his own mug, the porcelain hot under his fingers. " _Really_ , Alfred? I can't loan you any money and mom said that--,"

"No, it's not money."

The omega regarded his brother with a suspicious look. "It's not money?"

The alpha shot back a slightly wounded expression. "Why do you always think it's money?"

"Oh, I don't know, because ever since we were twelve you've been piss poor at budgeting and it's the only thing that really makes sense now that you're off living on your own which, by the way, is  _really_  expensive and I'm still surprised you went out of your way to do that." Even in their city, which wasn't a very big one, rental costs weren't exactly geared towards the poor college student.

"Well, it's not money." Alfred said, indignant.

"Fine." Matthew leaned back in his chair, still waiting for his cup to cool. "Why did you bring me here then?"

Now, his brother might not have been the most alpha of alphas, but it looked strange when he bit his lip and tipped his head in a very evasive gesture. He was starting to become worried as all the little oddities began to add up.

" _Alfred_..." He said, voice carrying with it a note of warning.

"Do you see that shop across the street?" Alfred suddenly asked, and Matthew humored him for a moment, glancing over.

"The dry cleaning one?"

"No, no, next to it."

"The... florists'?"

"Yeah."

Matthew peered at the shop for a long moment. It looked somewhat new, maybe only having been there a handful of years as the sign was crisp and bright in the morning sunlight, scrawling out  _A Rose By Any Other Name_  in elegant font. There was a rack outside that held flowers, a well-maintained array designed to catch the eye. It suited its location in this slightly uptown portion of the district, advertising some amount of class and expertise.

But in the end it was still a flower shop.

"Okay." Matthew said, looking expectantly at his brother. Alfred was still staring at the tiny shop and although he spared it a second glance he couldn't understand why. "I don't--,"

"Just wait." The alpha told him, so Matthew did. His cup was cool enough to sip at now, so he raised it to his lips, the delicate aroma of caffeinated sugar invading his senses as he tasted it. It was good. Enjoying the cautious dance of sip-sip-sip-ah, too hot, he watched the shop from over the rim of the cup.

A moment of distraction had him staring down at the creamy looking foam, but then his brother made a sort of odd noise, a relieved exhalation of breath, and he looked up at the shop again.

Now there was a man outside, tending to the display flowers. From his build he looked to be an omega of average height, his body type the more lithe and soft of their kind while Matthew's bordered more on a slightly broader build. His hair was a sandy sort of color and he was wearing a black apron with large pockets in the front, tied securely around his waist and just showing off how very slight he actually  _was_. He wasn't a particularly notable specimen, at least in Matthew's opinion, but then again he had never really been able to see what it was alphas fancied in omegas...

His gaze slid back to Alfred, who was watching the omega across the street with an expression that looked to be rapt attention disguised as casual staring.

"... _Oh_." Matthew said, as it all suddenly clicked.

That seemed to return Alfred's attention to him, who looked at him with a guilty, embarrassed smile. "What do you think?"

Matthew glanced at the other omega again. "He's cute." He said, not sure what else to say.

He wasn't quite expecting the completely heartfelt way Alfred replied with, " _Isn't he?_ "

He glanced between his brother and the florist omega a couple times, trying to see them together in his mind. It was an odd picture, but he rather thought that might have been because the last person Alfred had dated had been in early high school. "You should ask him out." He said.

Alfred sputtered, the noise attracting attention from some of the other patrons. The alpha looked fairly wild-eyed as he awkwardly muted himself before leaning forward conspiratorially. "I- I can't just do that..."

"Why?" It was a very alpha thing to do. Omegas typically responded well to the bluntness.

"What if he says no?" Alfred said, and there was something in his voice that sounded positively strangled by this idea, as though it were the worst possible thing that could happen to him.

Something else suddenly occurred to Matthew, "Hey... do you... do you come here _just_ because of  _him_?" The omega asked, pointing discretely at the shop across the street. The florist had gone inside, but the message was the same.

Alfred's face turned positively _scarlet_.

"Oh. My. God. _Alfred_."

The alpha sputtered again, "W- well I mean, no-- I like the coffee-- b- but I would probably just take it to go-- ah, it's just a bit of watching, nothing weird-- I mean, that's not weird, right?"

"How long has this been going on?"

Those blue eyes widened at him before darting away with shame. "A... A year or so..."

"A year?" Matthew balked. This was actually sort of adorably pathetic for his brother. "Why didn't you make a move? What if someone else comes along and whisks him away?"

From the antsy way Alfred shifted in his seat, it was obvious that he had thought of that possibility. "W- well, I think he might be a bit older and I was living at home so I couldn't-- I mean, it wouldn't be right if I-- yeah..."

Okay, that was a pretty good argument even if it meant that Alfred had quite literally only moved out because he wanted to woo an omega, but, "You've been living on your own for four months now."

"W- well I mean... I don't know _how_ to approach him... What if I say something dumb?"

"Wait-- you've never even _talked_ to him before?" Matthew looked at his brother with open disbelief. This man was an alpha? He felt more alpha than that! "You could have, like, gone in on mother's day or something-- there have been so many excuses you could have used!"

Alfred looked sheepish, like a child being scolded. "I... tried. Once or twice, b- but I got cold feet and..."

"Oh,  _Al_..." He made no effort to hide the thick layer of pity in his voice.

"But you'll help me right? You're an omega-- you can tell me what to do!" Alfred said, looking at him with a mix of hope, enthusiasm, and awe, as though Matthew could solve all his problems.

But his brother was actually  _asking for his help_ \-- it was unprecedented. How could he say no? "Yeah, I'll help you." He agreed.

"Thank you! You're the best brother ever!"

Matthew huffed a breath, rolling his eyes. "Well, when we finish up here we'll go over there."

Alfred hesitated. "Over... there?"

"Well yeah, gotta start somewhere. And you'll start by talking to him. I guess tell him you want to get something nice for your mom. As an omega, he'll probably find that endearing."

His brother's smile had rapidly turned into a look of consumed worry. "O- okay... Yeah that's really smart. I'll just act like I want to buy flowers." He bit his lip, confidence building up in his chest as he gave Matthew a weak smile. "And you'll go with me?"

"Of course." Matthew said, fully willing to play wingman. His brother obviously desperately needed the help.

And so they finished their food and took the cross walk over to the other side of the street, the tension in Alfred's body so visible that it looked like he was walking with the hanger still in his shirt and rulers taped to his elbows. But it was fine. The omega in the shop probably wouldn't notice overly much, having to deal with customers day in and day out. 

Alfred would order a nice bouquet, asking for whatever the other omega thought was appropriate, and then they would go through the flowers together and hopefully his brother would loosen up some and relax as the conversation wore on and then, finally, he would purchase the bouquet and a nice bit of progress would have been made in his awkward little love life.

Yes. That sounded perfectly wonderful-- a very nice way to start things off. There was literally no way Alfred could botch this.

That was what Matthew had thought until they entered the shop and his brother approached the omega florist, the first words out of his mouth being, "Damn, your eyebrows are huge!"


	2. Chapter 2

Alfred had meant to say hello.  
  
That was what he had  _meant_  to do, but somehow the distance from his brain to his mouth mutilated his words and, in a sudden jump of anxiety as those deep green eyes turned on him, he had instead commented on the first thing he saw.  
  
Which were the fuzzy brows that rested just over those emerald eyes, giving the florist a very expressive quality.  
  
 _"Damn, your eyebrows are huge!"_  
  
He wanted to die. He wanted a hole in the earth to swallow him up and never let him go. He wanted to crawl under a rock and live out the rest of his life as a hermit. This was it. His life was over. He was doomed. He'd never get a mate, he'd never have children, and he would die alone.  
  
The omega florist was staring at him, mouth agape, "I beg your pardon?"

He was  _English_  and Alfred  _loved_  accents and all at once he was this gooey puddle on the inside and his legs felt like noodles and how on earth was he going to _fix_ this?

It was so much worse when it was  _this person_  looking up at him and being  _so very close_  that he could smell him and fuck if the scent of tea and rain and cool night air didn't make him want to just bury his face in his neck and-- and--

And this was where Alfred felt the most shame because, unlike most people who would, you know,  _change the damn subject_  or  _apologize_ , he always just started to say whatever he was thinking.  
  
"Y- yeah I mean-- you've seen them right! They look like caterpillars!" He added-- and why the hell did he say that!? But he was an alpha and somehow it made sense to just go with what he had originally said and, who knows, maybe the omega would think he was funny and cute and they would get together and, geez, he really hoped that was the case because this was hard. "And caterpillars turn into butterflies, so I guess they could be really pretty, right?"  
  
The omega was just staring at him now, but his expression had shifted from upset to befuddled. " _Butterflies_?" He echoed.  
  
"Er, you know... they pollinate and stuff and make the flowers grow so they're really nice and I guess that would mean caterpillars aren't so bad, um..."  
  
The florist just looked at him.  
  
And then he looked at Matthew, who was very obviously with him considering that they were nearly identical.  
  
"Is he always like this?" The omega asked his brother, as though Alfred wasn't even there at all and, on some level, Alfred really wished that this was true.  
  
"Oh!" Matthew said, feigning surprise as he walked over as though he hadn't just heard every moronic thing to come out of Alfred's mouth. His acting was terrible though, so Alfred knew that he had heard. He was never going to hear the end of this. "Sorry about that, he has a bit of a fever but I couldn't just leave him at home, you know. He's a little delusional at the moment. I should have been keeping a better eye on him."  
  
Alfred was about to protest, despite his brother's hand suddenly on his arm that  _pinched_ as though he was preemptively telling him to shut up, when--  
  
"Oh dear, that would explain it. The red face too..." The florist's expression was now a picture of concern, all anger having fled him.  
  
Oh Matt. Sweet, beautiful, intelligent Matt. They were going to go to IHOP after this. He just knew that bringing him here was a good idea.  
  
And then the florist stepped closer, leaning just so as he placed the back of his hand against Alfred's forehead and--  
  
He's touching me, he's touching me, he's touching me,  _he's touching me_ \--  
  
"His temperature feels incredibly high."  
  
So close, so close, so close,  _so close_ \--  
  
Alfred's head was swimming with his scent-- potent and heavy in his mind. He had been half a second from leaning down to catch more of it when the omega pulled away and Matt jerked his arm, making him take a step back.  
  
"You shouldn't have brought him here like this." The florist scolded Matthew. "He's in right terrible shape. I have some tea that should help, if you would just wait one moment."  
  
And then the florist was gone and Alfred felt himself suffocating in the most  _wonderful_  daze.  
  
That was until Matthew shook him slightly and hissed, "Snap out of it, Al!"  
  
Alfred spared him an annoyed look for that, but then the other omega was back again and his brother was distracted as the florist pressed a box into his hands. "Just take it. It won't help the disorientation, but it should help most everything else. Just make sure he gets some rest and don't take him into any more shops. You should take him straight home." The florist fussed.  
  
Over Alfred. He was fussing _over_   _Alfred_.  
  
Matthew just nodded, playing as though this was all news to him. "Thank you so much and sorry to bother you again. I didn't mean for it to end up like this..."  
  
"Oh, it was no trouble." The florist said and then there was  _a smile_  and Alfred had never seen him look like that from watching him across the street and  _why_  was that look directed at  _Matthew_  and not _himself_?  
  
He spared his brother an envious glance but the omega just grabbed his arm and started to drag him out of the store, "Thanks again!"  
  
He received in return a polite, "Have a good day."  
  
Once they were out of the store, Matthew started to drag him down the sidewalk and it was only once they reached a park that the omega whipped around to look at him. "What the hell was that, Al?" He looked positively incredulous.  
  
"I panicked!" Alfred said, jumping to the defensive as he put his hands up in front of him.  
  
His brother rolled his eyes. "You looked like you were about to jump him, Al-- I wouldn't call that  _panic_. Had I not been there to cover for your dumb ass, he probably would have had to call the cops on you."  
  
Alfred felt a wriggling feeling of shame. "I wouldn't have done that." He protested weakly, but even now the scent of the omega was still strong in his senses and it made his knees feel weak. He swallowed. "I mean-- I wouldn't have _wanted_ to do something like that... It's just... his scent was  _really strong_  and I..."  
  
Matthew pinched the bridge of his nose. "Have you ever courted an omega before?" He asked, sounding exasperated as though he knew the answer already.  
  
"Well yeah in high scho--,"  
  
"No-- not  _dated_. Courted."  
  
Alfred hesitated. "What's the difference?"  
  
" _Seriously?_ " Matthew as looking at him as though he'd just said that he didn't know what a knot was. "Really, Alfred? How do you _function_? Please, please enlighten me, because I'm beginning to doubt you've learned anything in the last twenty years of your life."  
  
Rather than get upset, he felt distress and unease gnawing at him as he toed at the ground awkwardly and he could very nearly  _hear_  Matthew's anger slipping away. The omega had always been weak towards this sort of thing.  
  
"Look." And he did, looking up at Matthew. "I'm your brother. You're not affected by me in the slightest. And those girls in high school weren't compatible with you at all so you didn't get all worked up like this. But  _he_ \--," and here Matthew jabbed in the direction of the florists', "is obviously  _very_  compatible with you and you probably caught his scent at one time or another which started all of this and that's why you're more of an idiot than usual around him." Those violet eyes stared at him, as though searching for some intelligence. "Does that make sense?"  
  
"I... think so." Alfred said slowly.  
  
Matthew sighed and started to walk back towards the shops again, this time taking a different path that would likely keep them from being spotted by the florist. "We'll go get you a book on it and you're  _going_  to read it before you talk to him again and _god help me_ if that means I quiz you on every single chapter, but you're not fucking this up anymore, Al." A pause. "It's just too pathetic."  
  
Even through the insults Alfred felt a welling of relief as Matthew agreed to help him. "Thanks, Matt." He said, following after. Maybe he had made a fool of himself, but at least he still had a chance and it really was all thanks to his brother...  
  
"You owe me." Matthew responded, leaving no room for negotiation. "But I'll help you win over Arthur." A pause, "Well, I'll  _try_  anyway."  
  
Alfred nodded at that, smiling, having expected no less from his twin.  
  
And then,  
  
"Wait-- _Arthur?_ "  
  
"Yeah. That's his name."  
  
"When did you get his name!?"  
  
"Oh, Al..." Matthew stopped walking to give him the most pitying expression Alfred had ever seen. "It was on his name tag..."


	3. Chapter 3

Alfred stared down at the book, brow furrowing.  
  
He peered up at his brother and then down at the text again. " _Seriously?_ " He squeaked, giving his brother a disbelieving look.  
  
Matthew seemed more than unimpressed as he sat across from the alpha, placing his mug of cocoa on the dining table with an audible thump. They hadn't  _wanted_  cocoa, but their mother had fussed over Alfred's arrival and said that if they were going to have a little study party then they'd better have some snacks and thus cheese, crackers, and cocoa had been thus provided. And Alfred was beginning to watch how she fussed over the omega with something akin to interest.  
  
Maybe Arthur would like that kind of thing too? Sweet snacks and salty foods and soft, caring gestures...  
  
"So... you're saying that... that..."  
  
Matthew sighed, weary. "This was what I was trying to tell you." He said. "This isn't just  _dating_. You've found a clear match. It's not exactly rare, mind you, but usually it's done through," he gestured with his hand, "scenting facilities." Sitting straighter, his brother eyed him, "Didn't you ever wonder what our aunt meant when she said she was going to get tested for a mate?"  
  
Alfred rolled his shoulders in a shrug. "I thought that was like a personality test or something."  
  
"You're an idiot." Matthew decided aloud, frowning. He picked up his cocoa again, sipping at it. "What does the book say?"  
  
Looking down, Alfred squinted at the words. "Um... It says some stuff about match making and some other stuff about chemical reactions, but..." He ran a hand through his hair with one hand while tapping the page with a finger on the other. "It's this part here..." He worried his lip. "It says I'll never find anyone I'll want more than my first compatible match." He looked up at Matthew, open concern on his face. "Is that true?"  
  
Matthew delicately turned the cup in his hands but set it down again. "Yes." He said quietly. "You'll never want someone more than Arthur." A wry quirk of his lips. "That's why I can't let you fuck this up."  
  
The kitchen was quiet for a moment in the dim, evening lighting. Alfred looked down at the book again. "I'll read all of it." He said after a moment. "I promise-- I just need some time to... it's really long so..." His chest hurt for some reason. He hadn't wanted Arthur to reject him before, but now that prospect seemed so much more damning. "I'll call you when I finish it, okay?"  
  
"Yeah..." Matthew said gently, looking at him with a sad smile. Alfred looked away, not wanting to see any more pity. "You're off then?"  
  
"Mhm. Text you later."  
  
" 'kay."  
  
With that he left his parents' house and drove back to his apartment feeling infinitely more tired than he had when he had woken up that morning. Entering his unit, he kicked off his shoes and headed straight for his bedroom, pulling out the book and collapsing onto his bed.  
  
This was supposed to explain to him how he could win over Arthur, right?  
  
He ended up falling asleep over the text at around four in the morning.  
  
  
  
"I added a little extra today." Francis said as he set down the cup on the table. Alfred looked up at him gratefully and the alpha's lip quirked. "You look like you'll need the caffeine."  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"Long night?"  
  
"Mm." Alfred just stared out at the street.  
  
Francis lingered a moment. It was early and he was the owner-- his staff were fine without him. "You know, a little bird told me that a peculiar alpha entered his shop yesterday..."  
  
Alfred jerked his head up to look at him, wide-eyed, "You talked to Arthur--?"  
  
"Yes, in fact." Francis hummed, smiling down at him. "We've known each other for  _years_. Fate has brought us once more together as neighbors much to his," the alpha gestured across the street, "annoyance. I thought it strange you would go there so I did a little prodding." The alpha was practically electric with barely repressed mirth.  
  
"What did he say?" Alfred hardly cared about the snooping. Francis was his in!  
  
The alpha straightened, nearly smirking. "He said a poor, disheveled creature wandered into his shop, insulted his monstrous brows, and then was carted off by his caretaker brother-- my words, not his."  
  
Alfred winced.  
  
"If you're trying to woo him, I suggest not." Francis advised sagely. "I've watched you pine after him for  _years_  now-- I thought you would get over it, but..."  
  
"You  _knew?_ " Alfred balked.  
  
Francis actually laughed at him, looking not the slightest bit ashamed for it. " _Mon cher_ , I gave you those discounts because I felt bad for you." He paused. "You  _do_  have a pretty face that brings in customers, but it was mostly the former reason. Watching you sit there and ache over him has caused me great pain. Had it been any other omega, I would have aided you in an instant..."  
  
Alfred peered at him, feeling more insulted than he wanted to let on, but curiosity won out. "What's wrong with Arthur?"  
  
"I've been trying to bed him for  _years_. Believe me when I say that he is not going to be easy. In fact, I would almost guess he were a virgin, but I know better." Francis shook his head. "No, a crush is best placed elsewhere, I think. You would have more luck, at least."  
  
Squelching the sudden spike of jealousy, both at the unknown alphas that had presumably slept with the omega and Francis himself, Alfred glowered up at him, feeling a little put off. "Matt said we're compatible."  
  
Francis stared at him, expression suddenly blank. "... Oh?" He blinked, owlish, then seemed to consider this for a moment. "Yes, why... did I not think of that?" He mused. "Yes, that would explain your visits nicely, wouldn't it?" He looked to be in disbelief, " _Merde_ \-- and here I thought you just liked his pretty face..."  
  
"Not so pathetic now, huh?" Alfred said haughtily.  
  
The other alpha patted him on the head pityingly, "Oh, your inaction speaks  _volumes_ , but if you're compatible this changes everything." Francis peered at him. "First, however, we need to make sure that that is truly the case."  
  
Alfred frowned. "How?"  
  
"By getting you up close and personal with  _rosbif_ himself."  
  
He almost asked about the weird nickname, but thought better of it. He'd long stopped questioning Francis' French vocabulary. "How?"  
  
The alpha flashed him a deceptive smile. "Allow me a date with your brother and I'll tell you."  
  
  
  
" _Alfred_..."  
  
"Please, Matt?  _Please_ \--?"  
  
" _Alfred Franklin Jones_."  
  
"Oh,  _c'mon_ , I said you'd be there and now if you don't go I'll have to cancel and what will Arthur think-- not that I know, but Francis said he'd get him to come too and I just need you to go to this  _one little house party_  and if you  _really_  don't like the guy then you can just avoid him because lots of other people will be there too!"  
  
The omega sighed, eyeing Alfred. "You haven't even finished that book yet, have you?"  
  
"I have until this Friday!"  
  
"That's only three days..."  
  
" _Please_ \--?"  
  
"Oh my god, you're a pain in the ass." Matthew rubbed his temples and Alfred watched as his brother's resolve crumbled away bit by bit. "If you promise me you'll read as much as you can before the party, I'll go."  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"Make sure you read the chapter on ettiquett--,"   
  
Hardly listening, he nearly bowled his brother over with a hug. "You're the best brother ever, Matt! I'll make this up to you, I swear!"  
  
"Tell Francis to buy good beer," The omega quipped, "and I'll consider us even."  
  
"Deal!"  
  
  
  
Francis stared at his hand for a moment, wondering how it was he always ended up involved in the love lives of others when he, himself, was gloriously single. Not for lack of trying. It pained him to admit that no one really caught his interest. Arthur was fun to pursue because he was  _safe_. Were anything to ever actually come of that, he wasn't sure what he would do.  
  
Knocking shortly on his neighbor's door. He leaned against the wall in the hallway, smiling politely at a beta woman that passed by. He'd never planned to live next to Arthur, but it was merely an apartment complex--not a home--so he'd never really bemoaned it either. If nothing else, it was quite entertaining.  
  
Especially when the omega himself opened the door, blinked at him, and then scowled. "Oh. It's you." His tone was openly disapproving.  
  
"You wound me." Francis said as casually as one might say hello.  
  
"What do you want?" Arthur said acidically and Francis had to wonder just how the man could be so very combative while being an omega.  
  
"I am having a small get together on Friday." The alpha said smoothly.  
  
Arthur snuffed. "Keep the volume under eight." He said, moving to shut the door. The number actually referred to the dial on Francis' stereo. It was the limbo between Arthur being slightly annoyed and Arthur calling the cops, which they had discovered months ago. Francis would have thought it a joke, but then again he didn't know the omega to  _tell_  jokes.  
  
"No, actually--," Francis jammed his foot in the door frame, keeping the door from closing, and winced when Arthur tried anyway. "I mean to invite you."  
  
"I'm not fucking you."  
  
"I am not asking you to."  
  
Arthur peeled back the door and stared at him skeptically. "Then why have me? You say I'm a disaster when pissed."  
  
" _You are_." Francis almost rolled his eyes, but he resisted. "No, I would like to invite you along because..." He pursed his lips for a moment and then settled on, "I need your advice."  
  
The omega stared at him as though he'd grown a second head. "My advice?" He repeated, squinting. "Is this a joke?"  
  
"No. I have a nice omega coming whom I'm quite fond of and, because you seem to have taken so poorly to my advances, I thought, well, perhaps he might as well. And I would very much like to avoid having the same kind of relationship with him that I do with you."  
  
"..." Arthur was just looking at him now with such  _scrutiny_  that it almost made Francis feel insulted. Then again, seeking Arthur's advice at all was against his own better judgement, but he needed the omega to come under the impression that Francis wasn't interested in him and this lie was a partial truth so it was the best kind--  _almost_  believable. "You're a piece of work." Arthur finally said, wrinkling his nose.  
  
"I'll be sure to stock whatever it is you happen to fancy at the moment." Francis added.  
  
A moment of silence, and then:  
  
"You're going to regret promising that, frog."


	4. Chapter 4

Friday came sooner than the four men truly anticipated.  
  
Alfred read as much of the book as he could, although Matthew's advice on reading the section on etiquette went entirely unheard. He did, however, very thoroughly read the section on knotting. Multiple times.  
  
Francis purchased a substantial amount of alcohol, because not only were Alfred's chances of getting laid hanging in the balance but his were too. And, of course, you never knew when a little of _this_ and a little of _that_ would turn into something so much  _more_.  
  
The evening descended upon them like fate, meticulous gears and dials spinning to bring together four souls for a night that none would likely forget.  
  
  
  
"Alfred, are you sure this is the right place?" Matthew asked him as they stared up at the tall building of condominiums. "I thought you said he lived in an apartment..."  
  
"He  _did_  say that." Alfred said, frowning slightly as he navigated his way into the parking garage. It was true that Francis owned his own, very successful coffee shop, so living here might be entirely expected, but if Arthur was his neighbor...  
  
What would a well-off omega want with a poor, college student alpha? The worry began to eat at his nerves a little. He really,  _really_  didn't want to mess things up with Arthur and it would really suck if the omega rejected him over something like this. He couldn't really _blame_ him if that happened, but _still_...  
  
Matthew must have sensed his distress because, as they got out of the car, he turned and said, "I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding. It'll be fine, Al."  
  
Alfred flashed him a smile. " 'course it'll be." He said. He was an alpha-- he  _had_  to be confident.  
  
He knew his brother could see through it. They'd known each other too long for him to not be able to. Regardless, it seemed Matthew was being merciful on him as he said, "Sweep him off his feet, okay?"  
  
"I will." Alfred said, positively grinning.

He'd read a lot of that book.

He'd be fine, right?  
  
  
  
Arthur sighed and took a sip of his drink, tossing Francis an unimpressed look. "So? Where is this omega, then?" He asked caustically-- mostly because he was beginning to suspect that this was, in fact, all an elaborate ruse and-- _haha_ \--how  _funny_  to trick him with, hm?  
  
"They should be here soon." Francis said, looking slightly worried now too. It was that little draw of his brow that was the only thing that made Arthur believe him. After being here for an hour already, he was beginning to get impatient.  
  
"Can you call him or--,"  
  
"They're here!" Francis was off before he could even register what the alpha had said, suddenly at the side of some poor blond fellow that...  
  
... was... _very_ familiar...  
  
Oh.  _Oh_. The lads from his shop. Yes.  
  
Uncertain as to whether or not Arthur should follow, he lingered by the far wall, except that suddenly that decision was made  _for_  him as the Frenchman led the omega and his brother over.  
  
Francis gave him a look that said,  _'Don't mess this up for me, please.'_  before gesturing extravagantly to the shorter blond boy with violet eyes. "I'd like to introduce you to Matthieu." He said, letting the lilt of his accent mutilate the boy's name into something soft and floral. "Matthieu, Arthur-- an old friend of mine."  
  
 _Friend_ , indeed.  
  
"A pleasure." Arthur said, extending his hand for the omega to shake. They shared a moment, then--a glance--two omegas very, _very_ aware of the posturing of an alpha. Matthew exhaled the smallest of laughs and looked away, much to everyone else's befuddlement.  
  
"And--," Francis continued, now slipping his arm around the back of the alpha brother from before who had been so quick to insult his eyebrows. Yet the poor boy had been so dreadfully _sick_ that it was understandable, if a little irksome. "This is Alfred."  
  
The alpha smiled, the motion seeming strange and forced as he jerked his hand forward, "U- um... Nice to meetcha."  
  
Arthur took the hand, the heat of the alpha's palm encompassing his cooler one. "Also a pleasure." He said.  
  
It seemed that broke Alfred, because the alpha shook his hand a bit harder than was proper before extracting his own and stammering out a nervous, "I- I'll go get a drink! Do you want anything Arthur?"  
  
"..." The omega in question frowned lightly at the full cup in his own hand and then looked back at the alpha, perplexed. "I'm fine."  
  
"Oh! Yeah, you are, huh? Haha, well then!" And with that he was gone, dragging the omega brother along with him.  
  
It took him all of one second to realize what was going on.  
  
" _Francis_." He ground out, tossing the alpha a look.   
  
The Frenchman blinked from where he'd been caught in a soft daze as he watched the omega's retreating back. " _Ouais?_ "  
  
"Are you trying to set me up?"  
  
Francis looked at him. And then the bastard's lip quirked at the edge, which was all the answer he needed.  
  
"That's it-- I'm leaving." And Arthur meant that too, but he only got two steps before a hand snagged his arm and carefully pulled him back.  
  
"Hold on there,  _mon cher_ , certainly it is not so bad as you are making it out to be, hm? Why not give the poor thing a chance?"  
  
"Francis, you _know_ how I feel about--,"  
  
A finger was placed over his lips and he jerked back like a cat presented with a bath. "Just," Francis began again, "give him a chance."  
  
Arthur looked at him, openly suspicious. "Why _should_ I?"  
  
"You should because otherwise the gin, rum, and ale I bought you will go completely to waste."  
  
The omega glowered. "Wait-- you  _want_  me to get drunk!" He exclaimed, suddenly realizing. "Is it so you can be with his brother--? Why the  _hell_  did I think this would be any different than--,"  
  
A hand clapped down on his shoulder and, as the alpha leaned in, Arthur found himself clamming up quickly despite his prior agitation. Bloody omega nerves. "If you are truly so unhappy, you may leave, but please-- for  _his_  sake, at least..." The alpha smiled, the gesture strangely soft and reassuring on that obnoxious face, "give him a chance first. You might be surprised."  
  
Arthur shifted, uncomfortable, backing away from the closeness in order to down half his drink in a single go. When he surfaced again, it was with a sharp, satisfied exhale. "Fine."  
  
"There's a good boy."  
  
Arthur scowled but, suddenly, the two brothers were back again. They had taken a bit longer than would have been reasonable for one to only mix some drinks. Arthur had to wonder vaguely if the two of them had had a small chat as well.  
  
At the nervous, but reassured smile Alfred flashed him, he was fairly certain they had.  
  
"Matthieu, I have heard you dabble in French? I have some short novels that you might be interested in..."  
  
And with that the two were gone, Francis guiding the omega away into the bustling crowd of people that filled the extravagant little condo. Music hummed in the air, a vibrant, lively pulse, as people drank and chatted around them.  
  
Arthur looked up at the alpha he had been left alone with, Alfred looking as though he didn't know what to  _do,_  let alone  _say_.  
  
The omega frowned. "If you are still ill, you shouldn't be here, you know." He said, a touch of worry creeping into his own voice and betraying his composure.  
  
Alfred looked at him, "O- oh, no! I'm not sick--  _anymore_ , I mean. I, just, uh..."  
  
Poor thing. It was almost endearing the way he fumbled for something to say.  
  
"You're pretty short, huh?"  
  
Or... maybe it wasn't.  
  
Arthur scowled. "I am a  _perfectly reasonable_  height, thank you." Okay so, perhaps he wasn't  _very_  tall but for an omega that didn't matter right? One hundred and eighty centimeters was nothing to laugh at!  
  
"No-- I mean, it's cute-- I mean--,"  
  
"Just," Arthur said, taking a slow breath, "stop talking." He said, raising his hand to shush the alpha. Then he took a drink and let the alcohol settle in him with a pleasurable burn. He liked his mix  _strong_ , after all.  
  
Francis had just asked him a favor. If he upheld this... the alpha would  _owe_  him.  
  
He was doing it for that debt.  
  
"So... Alfred." He said, trying to be polite. He offered the other man a smile. "How do you, ah, know Francis?"  
  
"Oh." The alpha's face was a touch red and his eyes dazed. Arthur wondered distantly how long the poor boy would lie about not being sick. It was obvious that he _wasn't_ well. "Well, I uh... I visit his coffee shop a lot."  
  
"Do you?" It was fairly expensive and a bit of a waste. "He charges too much for everything, you know. You should really try the little cafe at the end of the street." He said fondly. "They have impeccable tea. I have never seen anyone else steep it as precisely as they do."  
  
Alfred was staring at him now, a strangely blank look on his face, and then he looked down at his drink. "O- oh? I've never noticed it before." A pause and then the alpha glanced up at him again, flashing him a brilliant smile. "You'll just have to show me where it is!"  
  
Oh.  
  
 _Well-played_.  
  
Arthur smiled coyly, amused by the prospect of whisking away one of Francis' loyal customers. "Perhaps I shall." He said.  
  
He hadn't quite expected the look of genuine happiness that flittered suddenly across the alpha's face, but for a moment those blue eyes glimmered with a strange sort of warmth and Arthur had to take pause...  
  
There was a fluttering feeling in his chest.  
  
...  
  
Oh dear.


	5. Chapter 5

Things were going well, Alfred thought.  
  
Although he couldn't exactly be sure because he kept tripping over his own words and telling the punchlines to jokes before the set up and yet, somehow, Arthur tolerated all of it, even laughing occasionally. When asked, the English omega had simply said that he found it charming.  
  
 _Charming_ , of all things.  
  
And so things had continued like that for a while, Alfred discretely prodding for information about the omega as he refilled his drink whenever it got empty, the alpha himself indulging more than he realized as he emptied cup after cup, lulled into distraction as Arthur talked about how he had started up his flower shop some years ago as nothing more than a high school graduate.  
  
He was only  _twenty-three_. Alfred could have thanked the stars. Even if he was mature and prim and proper and so very, very delectably  _English_ , he was still young enough for Alfred to have a chance! There was only a two year age difference and, yeah, okay, so having a younger alpha as a partner wasn't really ideal but at least the gap was small enough that it didn't really matter, right?  
  
Right?  
  
And then, somehow, Alfred was drunk. It hit him all at once when he realized it, the room's edges twitchy and moving, but he considered himself only just past tipsy and so it was a giddy sort of inebriation and one that made it easy to say, "Hey, you wanna dance?"  
  
The omega leaning against the wall blinked and Alfred had a hard time not staring into those deep, emerald eyes as they peered up at him, Arthur's cheeks flushed and his lips a sultry, wet red. He must have been a little drunk too, however, because he grinned, which surprised Alfred slightly. "I suppose I can indulge..." He drawled, the flirtatious quirk of his lips giving away that he wasn't at all troubled by the offer.  
  
Alfred, in a moment of boldness, took the omega's wrist and tugged him out into the thrum of people. The party had been going on long enough that the living room had successfully degraded into a dance floor, couples flirting, moving, grinding, making out-- you name it. If nothing else, Alfred had to give Francis some credit for knowing how to throw an awesome party.  
  
Once in the crowd, they were bumped and jostled until, eventually, they resigned themselves to the not at all unfortunate fate of sticking close to each other, Alfred's arm wrapped protectively around Arthur's shoulders as they navigated until they found a safe opening. At this distance, the alpha could pick up a lot more of the omega's scent, a deep mix of rain and soil and flowers and raspberries. He smelled  _divine_...  
  
Alfred leaned in to scent him, wanting to press his nose into that soft hair, just as Arthur looked up. They stared at each other for a moment, faces mere inches apart.  
  
"I, um..."  
  
"W- we should dance..." Arthur supplied.  
  
"Yeah." Alfred said, just about to release the omega's shoulder, but then, suddenly, the upbeat song ended, followed up by a slow one.  
  
The two stared at each other for a moment as the couples around them took to clinging to each other in a gentle sway. And then Arthur coughed lightly and murmured, "When in Rome..."  
  
They shifted against each other, somehow coming to rest with Arthur's chest pressed to Alfred's, the alpha's hands on the omega's hips as Arthur wrapped his arms around Alfred's neck. It felt strange, but between the liquor and the suddenly peaceful atmosphere of rowdy party goers coaxed into a fleeting, romantic lull, they accepted the situation, not questioning the selection in music or the blue and violet eyes that watched them from near the sound system control.  
  
For a minute or two, neither Alfred nor Arthur said a word, neither wanting to admit the position they were in or how much they might have been enjoying it. As they became comfortable, the alpha let his cheek rest against Arthur's head as the omega's face pressed against Alfred's chest.  
  
This moment felt painfully light-- a strange, delicate quality to it as Alfred held the figure in his arms as though he might break, unable to help drowning in that light, floral scent.  
  
And then a heated feeling of instinct surged through him and he licked his lips, suddenly breathless as his hands twitched with need. This wasn't enough anymore, his body told him. He had the omega wooed, didn't he? Why not... why not try for  _more?_  
  
... Yes. Alfred's fingers found the curve of the omega's jawline, drawing the pads up so that Arthur might look at him and, indeed, he did, green eyes blinking owlishly in the dimly lit room.  
  
And, with a grace he hadn't known himself to possess, Alfred captured Arthur's lips in his own, the omega stilling for a moment before hesitantly pressing back. It was gentle at first--painfully so--and then Alfred felt the soft lap of Arthur's tongue, inviting and teasing and silently promising so much _more,_  and, suddenly, the kiss was deepened as he dominated that hot, velvet mouth, drinking in the taste of the omega that suddenly felt unstable in his grasp, as though the only thing that was holding him up was the arm Alfred now had wrapped around his lower back.  
  
  
  
"Well, what do you know..." Francis murmured, smiling from over his wine glass, eyes trained on the couple that had all but forgotten about dancing. "They really  _are_  compatible."  
  
"Knew it." Matthew said, grinning and giddy as he gestured towards them with his beer. "We just haveta make sure they don' fuck it up now, eh?"  
  
Francis gave the omega a fond glance, tapping his nose at the lilt of accent and making Matthew pull back in confusion. " _Oui_." He said.  
  
Oh yes, helping those poor fools was a delightful excuse to use to spend more time with this one, Francis thought quietly to himself, winding some of Matthew's hair around his finger as the younger male laughed and leaned into the touch.  
  
  
  
The kiss was disassembling his mind.  
  
Arthur had kept himself together up until this point, but now, with that strong, musky scent invading his senses, surrounding him and drowning his mind in cotton fluff, he found himself coming completely undone. He had never felt this before, knees weak and hands trembling as he grasped at the alpha's jacket, Alfred's warmth creeping through Arthur's shirt and making him shiver.   
  
" _Nngh_..." It had been a small moan, or perhaps more of a gasp, but when that arm tightened possessively around his lower back, Arthur couldn't help but feel a euphoric swoon.  
  
And that was truly saying something, given that he had never been this unraveled by any other alpha before. And he had  _tried_ \-- oh, had he ever. But the search for a mate had always ended in heartbreak for the omega, each string of hope followed to its bitter, untimely end.  
  
Yet this felt different. This felt strange and new and that  _scared_  him as much as it excited him because right now, in this moment, they were grasping each other like lovers meeting after being apart for a year and he couldn't help but to want more, more,  _more_...  
  
They broke apart for air and Arthur heard himself gasp, "My unit-- next door... let's--..." And, between the alcohol and the burning in his body that pined for skin against skin, Alfred understood and was instantly guiding them towards the front door, which Arthur was grateful for because he wasn't sure he could walk properly right now without the aid.


	6. Chapter 6

Arthur's unit was a show of wealth far beyond what Alfred could afford, although perhaps it was modest as far as condominium's went. It was elegantly furnished and well-loved, the entire place scented of Arthur and no one else, and the alpha in him possessively tightened its grip around the omega, this location quite obviously the latter's den.  
  
Yet there was no time to think about that as they stumbled through a foyer and then a living room and then a hall, crashing into things and giggling as they tried to keep a hold of each other. It was absurd--Alfred had never felt this way before--but there was something bright and warm in his chest that made him feel like he could do anything and, as he gripped the omega to him and indulged in a feverish kiss, momentarily pinning the smaller man against the wall, he couldn't help but think that this was the most wonderful thing that he had ever experienced.  
  
They fell onto the bed in a heap, Arthur's body pinned and writhing beneath his own as Alfred clawed him free of the button up shirt, nipping his cheek and jaw and ears and neck and shoulder and then, once that smooth swath of pale skin was before him, suckling at a pink nipple and making the omega keen in a long moan.  
  
Alfred wasn't all that experienced in this sort of thing, but he had had his fair share of encounters and now, as he straddled his long-term crush, drunk on pheromones and alcohol, he found that he wanted to make him feel not just good-- but _fantastic_.  
  
He wanted this body beneath him to become putty.  
  
He wanted him to scream loudly enough that Francis' party might hear them.  
  
This was his omega and, more than anything, he wanted to claim him.  
  
Those emerald eyes glimmered up at him in the low light, the only source of illumination a bulb in the hall that they had haphazardly flicked on during their journey. Arthur was panting, face red and eyes dark, shirtless and beautiful. And yet it was the omega that murmured, "God, you're bloody _gorgeous_."  
  
Alpha pride ballooned in him as he kissed Arthur, hands running the length of his sides and that smooth, supple skin. The omega shivered so he turned his attention to idly tweaking at a sensitive nipple with his fingers, satisfied when Arthur gasped and squirmed. "Just like a woman's..." He chuckled.  
  
The little scowl he got for that looked more seductive than annoyed as the omega arched into his touch, skin flushed. " _Nngh_ \-- I- I'm an--  _ah_ \-- an _omega_ , you git..."  
  
"Oh, so that's it." Alfred murmured, wondering if this was in his book too. He had probably read it, yet now his mind was blank save for appreciation of the body in front of him.  
  
"Yes, I--  _aannh_ \--," The moan dipped into a mewl before rising back again as Arthur's head tipped to the side, whatever thought he had interrupted as Alfred twisted that soft nub between the pads of his thumb and index finger. "O- oh--  _fuck_ \-- just t- take me already you tease--..."  
  
Alfred hesitated, a sudden feeling of worry springing to life in him.  
  
 _Sex_.  
  
Yes, that's why they were here, wasn't it--?  
  
Of course he'd had sex before but not like this-- no,  _never_  like this. Arthur was  _Arthur_. And what if he messed up? What if it was bad? What if he couldn't last because, fuck, when was the last time he had gotten laid anyway? Thirty seconds wasn't going to satisfy someone like the omega sprawled out across the bed before him. What if he didn't want to see him anymore afterwards? What if--  
  
A palm came to rest on his cheek and he blinked, startled to find Arthur staring up at him with a look of concern.  
  
"I- I--,"  
  
"Alfred." Arthur worried his lip a moment and the alpha couldn't help but watch as that pearly tooth grazed that soft ruby lip. "Your scent, you--," A breath. "Do you not want this? I just thought--,"  
  
"N- no--," Alfred cut him off, hating the way the other male's face was filled with unease. "No, I... I _do_ want this-- I do want you, I just..."  
  
The omega swallowed, leaning up on his forearms now. "Your scent is anxious." He stated.  
  
The alpha paled. "I- I just--,"  
  
"This isn't your first time is it?" Arthur asked, brow furrowing with a look of worry that almost seemed  _parental_.  
  
"Of course not! I've had lots of sex!" Alfred replied. He could have very well kicked himself. If nothing else, the dubious expression on the omega's face made him feel like the other thought him a liar. "I guess I just--,"  
  
"Don't think." Arthur said, wrapping his arms around Alfred's neck. "Just lose yourself." And then he kissed him again, but this time it was slow and sweet and gentle and Alfred melted into it, relaxing as they came to rest on the bed together in a comfortable embrace.  
  
Alfred's hands found the omega's back, cool under his touch, and he held that smaller body against his own, the scent of the other man making his head swim as fireworks burst in his mind. Making out have never quite been this... this  _intense_  before. It felt like his nerves were on fire, heated and wanting and raw, and one of his hands slowly slid down to massage the curve of the omega's ass, kneading the soft flesh between his fingers as Arthur exhaled a soft noise into the kiss.  
  
Breaking away from him, Arthur breathed a soft, "What do you want to do?" against the shell of his ear. It was erotic and alluring and inviting and everything of fantasy.  
  
But what _did_ he want to do?  
  
How far _did_ he want to go?  
  
Alfred had a decision to make. "I..." He pulled back to look at Arthur, those verdant eyes watching him, "I can't go through with this." He admitted.  
  
A look of hurt flashed across Arthur's face but was swallowed again, as though it had never been there. The omega's expression turned to one of resignation. "I... understand."  
  
"I'm really sorry." Alfred was quick to add. He wanted to court Arthur _properly_ , after all, and this was anything but. He was supposed to bring him gifts and meet his family and ask for his hand and, yeah, okay, maybe it was old fashioned, but it was the best way, right? And he _cared_ about him. He just wanted everything to be  _right_. "I--," He wanted to say it all, but he found words escaping him as his face turned red. "I just..." He bit his lip.  
  
"It's fine." Arthur sat up quickly, an odd look to his face. He was smiling, but it looked...  
  
 _Forced_.  
  
"You're sure?" Alfred blinked at him, thrown off a little.  
  
The omega nodded, finding his shirt on the edge of the bed and slipping it on again, buttoning it with fingers that were quick but fumbled. "You should probably get back to your brother before Francis has his way with him." He said, not meeting Alfred's curious gaze.  
  
The alpha frowned lightly, regretful, "I know you wanted to--,"  
  
" _Please_." Arthur interrupted, still not looking at him. "I promise you-- I understand. I get it-- really. Just... don't say any more, okay?"  
  
"Arthur..." If he understood then there was no problem, right? Alfred felt himself relax. "Okay." He said, even smiling a little himself. "Thanks for understanding."  
  
"... Yes." Arthur still wasn't looking at him.  
  
There was silence for a moment and then,  
  
"You should go find your brother."  
  
"You're probably right." Alfred admitted, knowing that Matthew wasn't necessarily poor at holding his liquor but was pretty bad when it came to not overdoing it.   
  
He stood, feeling really good about what had just happened. They could start over and do this properly. And, not only just that, he had proven that he wanted Arthur for more than just sex. He flashed the omega a grin, faltering when he realized that the smaller male still had his head bowed.  
  
"See you later." He said, leaning forward and stroking his hair affectionately for just a moment.  
  
Arthur looked up at him, offering a small smile in return. "Goodbye, Alfred."  
  
Not thinking too much of the awkward exchange--because it was _bound_ to be a little awkward, right?--   
  
Alfred left.  
  
And as soon as the door to the unit clicked shut, the omega burst into tears.


	7. Chapter 7

"Alfred..." Muttered a low, hungover voice. "What did you do?"

The alpha in question blinked as he turned the bacon over in the skillet. After last night, he'd brought his brother back to his apartment, since their mom never really liked it when the two of them drank, and now he was making their morning meal, in all its greasy glory. So, honestly, he wasn't entirely sure what he was supposed to say. "I made breakfast?" He ventured, glancing at the pancakes on the counter. They were even neatly stacked.

"No. Not that." Matthew grumbled as he poured himself coffee and relished saturating the liquid with French vanilla cream. " _Last night_."

Alfred grinned, sheepish. He never got hangovers quite as bad as Matthew did, so he was slightly sympathetic and more than a little wary. It must really suck drinking as an omega. "Well, I found you kissing that French bastard so I gave him, y'know, what for and all that and dragged you home."

"And what about Arthur?" Matthew said tensely, glancing at him. If looks could _kill_...

"Oh, well, you know." Alfred shrugged awkwardly. "I thought it was too soon to move things forward like that and I wanted to respect his, uh, personhood and court him properly."

The alpha didn't think much of the silence that followed that statement, contenting himself with peeling free the slabs of pig and fat and sliding them onto a plate. When he looked up, however, he found his twin staring at him.

"What?"

Matthew's gaze was intense. "You didn't read the chapter on etiquette, did you?" He said, his voice soft and full of venom.

Alfred blinked. "I-- um..." He hadn't. It was there and he had seen it, but he'd only skimmed parts before getting distracted by the chapter that followed-- the one that detailed heat and knotting.

Of all the things that the alpha had expected, the last would have been for Matthew to stalk forward and slap him clean across the face.

 

Francis wasn't sure _why_ he chose to meddle in the affairs of others. They always seemed particularly good at mucking up perfectly fine situations, as though they deliberately went out of their way in order to botch things.

And Arthur was such a troublesome specimen too. Alfred had been _so close_ to wooing the man and then he'd dropped the ball, so to speak, shattering an already delicate omega and turning him from difficult to, _merde_ , impossible.

"You really had no idea, did you?" He said coldly, settled in a chair across from Matthew and the alpha himself. They were currently seated in the back corner of his cafe, but not even the sweet scent of finely crafted confections could ease the tension.

Alfred, to his credit, looking positively devastated and it was clear from his scent that his guilt was immense. "I thought-- I mean, he said he understood, so..."

And to think, these were the two that were meant for each other, dictated to breed by nothing more than genetic compatibility.

Fools, the both of them.

Omegas were gentle creatures, at their core, and they needed to be assured that an alpha's interest was genuine and earnest. Rushed or not, to lead one on and then change your mind was a critical error, and had Alfred known _anything_ , he would have realized that he had single-handedly destroyed the other man's self-worth.

And, sadly, Arthur didn't really have much of that to begin with.

"You need to apologize." Francis said, but he tensed as Alfred looked up at him with hope--, "And I cannot help you. You must undo the damage you have wrought and, honestly, there is no guarantee that he will even forgive you."

Alfred hunched in on himself, looking almost terrified at the prospect of having lost Arthur like this. "I... I gotcha..." The alpha said slowly. "I have to do it on my own."

" _Yes_." He emphasized, hoping the other alpha would get the message that this was of the utmost importance. "And if I were you, I would do it soon, before the wound begins to heal and his mood turns from hurt to bitter."

Matthew, who looked exceptionally exhausted by all of this, the poor thing, glanced at his brother. "You rejected him in the most humiliating way possible, Al."

Alfred flinched. "I know." He said, voice low like a child being forced to admit they'd done something wrong.

It was cute the way this omega commanded so much respect from his brother. Cute and a little distressing when you turned that into a commentary on Alfred himself.

"I'm not gonna go with you and hold your hand this time." Matthew added.

"Yeah, I... wouldn't want you to." Alfred admitted. "I know-- I have to be an alpha. I have to take responsibility and, blah, blah... I get it. _I fucked up_." He ran a hand through his hair. "I fucked up big and I have to fix it. Somehow."

The two other blonds looked at him and Alfred sighed.

"I'll think of something-- and I'll do it soon." He said, rising up from his chair and leaving behind untouched sweets. "Thanks for the..." He gestured at the coffee.

"My treat." Francis said easily. "This one time."

"I'm gonna go and, um... think. For a while." The shaken alpha said, making for the back exit.

To avoid being seen by Arthur.

Once he was gone, Francis spared Matthew a look.

The omega just shrugged and said, "I don't know anymore. He's made a lot of mistakes and I've always tried to help him, but I don't think he can fix this one."

The alpha leaned forward to place a hand over Matthew's, noting with pleasure how the omega's face flushed a soft red. "You underestimate Arthur's tenacity, I think." He said. "But for once, I must agree."

He sighed, feeling weary.

"Those two might just be too contradictory to get along well together."

 

Alfred ended up wandering the nearby park for several hours, the fresh air helping him think through his situation.

For starters, he knew it was a little shallow, but he kind of felt inclined to get Arthur some sort of gift. A peace offering of sorts. It felt almost like an instinctive need, so he figured it had to have been the right thing to do. There was just one problem with that line of reasoning.

What did you get for an omega that ran a flower shop?

Obviously flowers were out of the question, despite being such an obvious choice. And other romantic things, like chocolate, wouldn't go over well because he was pretty certain that the shop sold those as well. Truth be told, he didn't have enough information about Arthur to really know what his likes or dislikes were--

Except, perhaps, for one thing.

Alfred grinned and took off at a run, hoping he could make it to his destination and then back to Arthur's work before the florist's shop closed.

 

For some reason, Arthur hadn't expected to see the alpha again so soon.

Or, rather, he had woken up that morning with a bloody awful hangover, his eyes stinging and sore and his body stiff from a poor night's sleep on the floor, and he'd been fairly convinced that that was the end of that. After Alfred had left, he'd somehow gotten into his own, personal alcohol cabinet and, well...

The half-empty bottle of rum had gleefully taunted him from where it sat, still open, on the living room table.

But work was work and no hangover would ever be terrible enough to deter him from showing up because, despite society's expectations, he was not a creature that needed to be coddled or doted upon and he had a business to run so, really, he needed to take responsibility for his negligence and run his shop as was proper, despite any self-inflicted handicaps.

Well, he would say  _his shop_ , but in all honesty it belonged to his father. It was supposed to--oh, what was it?

Keep him _entertained_.

Every one of them had thought he'd run it into the ground, so the resounding success was like a badge of honor and he wore it with pride at every holiday he was forced to attend.

Head alpha or not, his father couldn't say much about it because, at the very least, he had conceded, it was something _suited_ for an omega.

For some reason the man thought that the flowers made up for the fact that Arthur was very much running a business all on his own. As if their floral decadence suddenly eased the strain that was finances, advertising, and budgeting.

Still, the point was that this was _his_ shop and he _had_ to run it, whether or not his health was in tip top shape.

Although he had scared off a few alphas whom had tried to express concern for him. What terrible things they had been, all posturing and worry and--

Arthur wasn't so stupid as to fall for something like that again.

So when Alfred had walked in, he'd tensed immediately the moment he'd caught his scent, turning with a glower and a rigidity that would have made Gothic era gargoyle statues envious.

"Can I help you?" He bit out, each word like its own, tiny death sentence, because his head was pounding far too much to see that bloody cheerful grin.

The alpha seemed to catch the hint because he wilted a little and Arthur felt triumph flare to life in his chest because _of course_ this one was a coward like all the rest.

And yet he didn't turn tail and flee like the omega had hoped.

"I, um..." Alfred was flustered for some reason and his hands were behind his back. "I... I'mreallysorryforlastnight." He said so quickly that it made Arthur's head reel, each word rushing into the next.

"Pardon?" He said, more from annoyance than anything else because, if he were honest, he'd rather _not_ hear it again.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Arthur." The alpha repeated, slower now. "Last night I-- I left you off on a misunderstanding and, shit-- I'm so sorry. I didn't even realize it until my brother literally slapped some sense into me..."

The omega regarded him with a steely glare, although he remorsefully felt his resolve weaken.

Sometimes he hated his type.

Sometimes he hated the fact that his body _so desperately_ wanted to believe these sorts of lies.

"Mistake...?" Arthur repeated.

He'd give him one chance.

 _One_.

Just this once.

"Y- yeah..." Alfred wet his lips with his tongue and Arthur flinched at the memory of what his mouth had tasted like. "You thought I left 'cause I didn't want you, right?"

And then Arthur flinched at that, too, wincing internally at his own jumpiness. He damn well hated being hung over. " _Yes_." He replied, tersely, his entire body tense. "You made that abundantly clear." Because Arthur wasn't good enough.

He was _never_ good enough.

"That's not what I meant though, I--," Alfred faltered, taking a step closer even as Arthur took a step back. "I just thought you deserved better."

The omega rose a brow at that. "What? Better than you?" He bit out, because so help him if this was some _it's not you_ , _it's me_ , tripe...

"No!" Alfred cut in, the loudness making Arthur's head pulse in pain. "No, I mean-- I mean I want to court you properly and I-- shit, Arthur, I didn't mean to hurt you like that. I'm sorry."

Court...

... Courting?

"You want to _court_ me?" He balked, actually, legitimately shocked. Sure, there was dating and flings and hook ups but courting was different--

Courting was to pursue being _mates_.

Mates were, arguably, forever.

"Yeah." Alfred said, sheepish. "I- I do... We-- I just _feel things_ when I'm around you. Things I've never felt before."

Arthur felt dizzy. "O- oh?"

"And I brought you a gift, too. I know it doesn't really make it better, but I didn't want to come here empty-handed." And then the alpha strode forward and Arthur was too startled to move away, even as that larger hand caught his own and the omega's palm opened up to receive a box.

A box of tea, no less.

A box of rather _expensive_ tea from a rather _expensive_ tea shop.

The very tea shop that Arthur had said at the party he would show Alfred, as embarrassing as that vague memory was.

Alfred had remembered.

"I- I..." He didn't know what to say. Everything was so overwhelming.

"Please accept it. I... I asked them about you and they said this was what you liked best so--,"

"Y- yes it's... I..." Arthur was having trouble breathing. "It's very nice, I--," He blinked. "T- Thank you--..."

Alfred looked at him, those sky blue eyes suddenly wide. "Hey are you okay?"

The omega glanced up sharply-- because _of course_ he was okay. He was _always_ okay.

He had a shop to run, after all.

"I- I'm--," Fine.

He'd meant to say Fine.

Fine with a capital F. Because he was okay.  Because he didn't need anyone to take care of him. Because he would never need anyone to take care of him.

He didn't get the chance to say that, however, as he promptly fainted.


	8. Chapter 8

The first thing Alfred noticed was the box of tea slipping free of Arthur's hand and then clattering to the ground.

And then the omega's knees seemed to give out completely, as though he were intent on joining it, and instinct kicked in as the alpha lunged forward to catch him, just barely managing to prevent him from smashing his head against a one of the displays.

"Shit-- Arthur, are you alright!?" Alfred yelped, the small body in his arms feeling inexplicably light, but the limp form said nothing and he shifted to support the omega's neck, concern flaring up. "H- hey. Hey, c'mon..."

Lowering him down to the floor, he worried his lip and looked around. It didn't seem as though anyone else was here, so there was no one to ask for help.

But...

He was an alpha.

Wasn't he _supposed_ to be able to make decisions in situations like this?

 

When Arthur awoke it was in a bed that wasn't his.

He jerked into a sitting position, something wet sliding off his face and landing on the blanket that covered him, and he felt panic spike to the front of his senses as he peered around, breathing erratic and short.

"W- whoa, whoa-- _calm down_ \--," Arthur wasn't sure when he had appeared, but suddenly there was an alpha next to him, grasping his shoulders and forcing him to look at him and saying something that was likely supposed to be comforting. "It's okay. You're gonna be okay, alright?"

"W- wha--,"

"You collapsed with a fever so I took you back to my apartment."

Arthur blinked away the fog that had settled in his brain, the fluff clearing and letting his thoughts through, albeit it was something of a struggle. And then he saw--really saw--the person before him and he felt confusion saturate his mind. "A- Alfred--?"

"Yeah." The alpha in question said, smiling encouraging. "Yeah, it's me. Alfred.

Arthur was openly baffled by this fact and he sniffed the air, his sense of smell slightly dulled but not enough to be ignorant to the fact that this room was heavy with the other man's scent. "Why am I..."

"I came to apologize to you? Remember that?"

It took him a moment but... yes. Yes, he _did_ sort of remember that. He nodded, feeling incredibly sluggish.

"Well you weren't looking so good and then you kind of, like, fainted..."

Arthur tensed, "My shop--,"

"I turned the lights down and locked up for you." Alfred assured him.

That didn't really matter, because he still had to go back and make sure everything was okay and, Christ, he'd been expecting a shipment and--

\-- and as he tried to get out of bed Alfred gently pushed him back.

"Oh no you don't. You're staying here." The alpha told him.

The omega balked. "I sure as hell am not." He protested, trying to get out of bed once more only to be pressed back. He made an indignant noise and moved to shove the alpha off but Alfred merely grabbed his wrists in a firm hold and no matter how he jerked them he couldn't get free.

God, he hated his type.

"You're really sick." The alpha insisted and Arthur found himself rather done with this accusation.

"It doesn't matter." He ground back, struggling against the restraint again. "I have to go back!"

"Arthur, it's six in the evening-- whatever it is can wait. You would have closed already anyway, right?"

He felt himself make a noise like a whine, but, humiliatingly, it quickly turned into a half-sob. "You don't know anything about me! I have to go to work! I have to--..."

"Whoa, calm down, what are you talking about?" Alfred yelped, and now the alpha was shifting to sit on the bed with him, tugging Arthur against him and forcing the omega to inhale a sudden burst of scent that made his panicked, angry mind lull in a woozy daze.

He sniffled, unable to comprehend what was so hard about all of this. "I have to go to work..." He protested weakly, even as his face was pressed up against Alfred's chest in an awkward embrace. Fingers were sifting through his hair and he could feel his entire body relaxing bit by bit.

"And why do you have to do that?" The alpha asked, voice soft now and close to his ear. Arthur shivered.

"Because I... because I have to... I'm not weak... _I'm not_..."

Arms shifted around him to hold him closer and the omega felt himself grow sleepy and pliant. "You're _not_ weak." Alfred told him. "No one thinks you're weak."

He tensed. "Yes, they do! My father--,"

"Well then your father's wrong."

The scent of alpha and the strength behind those words made something in Arthur freeze, his mind focused, for the moment, on that one sentence as he turned it over and over again in his mind.

His father was his family's head alpha.

But _this_ alpha said his father was wrong.

The omega swallowed, suddenly clinging to that line. Grasping it with something akin to hope. "H- he is...?"

"Yeah, he is." Alfred said, squeezing him for just a moment. "I've watched you for over a year. You're really, really strong." A soft laugh. "The strongest omega I've ever met."

Arthur dipped his head at that, his hand grasping the alpha's shirt. "I'm still a... an _omega_..." He muttered, bitter.

"Omega's aren't weak, though."

He looked up at that, peering at Alfred's face through dark lashes and fevered vision. "They're not...?" He felt like a child asking an adult why the sky was blue.

Those bright eyes smiled down at him. "They're not. Not all all." And then a finger was run along his cheek and Arthur realized that his face was wet. He rubbed at it with the back of a palm, embarrassed.

"You're just saying that..."

"No. I really mean it." Alfred hummed. "Omegas aren't weak-- they're just different. But they're not weak. Not at all. Not in the slightest." A laugh. "I would know-- my brother is an omega and he's _far_ from weak. I played hockey against him once in high school and I had my ass handed to me. It was the worst."

"... I see." Arthur said weakly, not sure what he could possibly respond to that with.

For a moment they sat there in silence and he realized a little shamelessly that the alpha was _warm_. He wanted to snuggle closer, but he didn't. Still, the thought was there. And Alfred seemed content to just let him indulge slightly or, perhaps, he was indulging too. Either way, it was a moment.

Arthur wasn't used to having moments.

"How do you feel?" The alpha asked him, his voice unmistakably gentle.

For once that tone didn't elicit anger and instead... he felt something else that he didn't pause to think about. "I... I don't know..." He admitted. It was hard to think.

"Well how about I get you some water and some pain killers and you try to sleep a bit more, okay? You were burning up earlier so maybe it'd be best to take your temperature too..."

"O- okay..." Arthur replied, feeling ashamed at the way he seemed to be tripping over all of his words.

A hand ruffled his hair and suddenly the warmth of the alpha was gone as the other man stood. "Cool. You just sit tight and I'll go get the stuff then."

He watched Alfred walk out of the room, his mind cottony and dreamy, and Arthur clutched the blanket in his lap and glanced at the discarded compress that lay by his side.

As much as he despised being coddled... this felt nice.

He was apparently quite sick.

And an alpha was doting on him.

An alpha that he particularly happened to like.

Arthur bit his lip and curled up in the bed, discretely pressing his face to the pillow and inhaling a wealth of scent that made his entire body pool with a feeling of warm affection.

Bugger it all, he was in deep.


	9. Chapter 9

"Hey, um... I brought you some soup." Alfred said, pushing the door open with his elbow as he peered inside.

It felt strange to smell Arthur's scent in his bedroom, tinted with illness. The sweet aroma of rain-wet earth was muddled now beneath a foreign, bitter _something_ that left him feeling antsy and protective.

When he received no reply, he stepped forward into the darkness, not at all surprised to find the omega very much asleep. Sighing, he set the soup down on the bedside table and perched himself on the edge of the mattress, leaning over Arthur to press the back of his hand to that balmy, pale forehead.

He was hot.

Worryingly so.

While short-sighted, Alfred hadn't really known what to do with him aside from taking him home. It had seemed pretty logical at the time, all things considered, but now it occurred to him that an omega just up and disappearing could potentially be extremely alarming if the right people noticed.

But... it was probably okay!

Alfred was an _alpha_ , after all, and he was beginning to feel a lot bolder about that fact lately. Yeah, maybe he screwed up at the party, but now was his chance to redeem himself! And everyone knew that a good alpha was bold and charismatic-- a natural born leader!

So he found Arthur's phone in the pocket of his discarded pants--sick people shouldn't sleep in day clothing, after all!--and looked through the contacts.

Finding the number registered as 'Father', he didn't think too much about it before pressing call.

It was just respectful to go straight to the head alpha first, right?

 

"Fer godssake lad, do you know what time it is!?"

Alfred recoiled slightly at the half-asleep, growl of a voice that answered him, grimacing as the man on the other end began to rant before he could even get a word in.

"Y'know, I've never had a single bloody problem with any o' yer brothers about this sort of thing, but then again they're a good lot better 'n you 're." A pause. A breath. And then a groan of exasperation. "Well, y' mute now, boy? What issit?"

Sensing that this was his moment to speak, Alfred straightened slightly despite the fact that no one could see him. "Hello. I'm really sorry if I woke you up. My name's Alfred. Are you Arthur's father?"

The man on the other end was silent for a long moment and even Alfred felt some sort of dread at that. "... Who're you?" The voice said, low and more awake. "A cop?"

"Oh, no! Sorry. I'm a-- a friend of Arthur's and I was just calling to say that he--,"

"A _friend_ , huh?" The man interrupted, sounding skeptical. "I've never heard of you before... Alfred."

He winced. "Yeah, I-- I'm a new friend." Collecting himself he continued, "I called because Arthur's--,"

"You a damn omega, boy?"

Alfred faltered. "No--? No, I'm... an alpha..."

The man on the other end made an audible harrumph noise. "Are you now? So lemmee guess-- you knotted him right? Well, I don't really care. I'm already sendin' money for that damn flat, 'cause no Kirkland's gonna live in a slum even if it's him."

Despite all that he wanted to say, Alfred was silent, too shocked to respond.

"Now bugger off and never call me again."

The line went dead in his hand.

 

"Oh dear, he's quite sick, isn't he?" Francis hummed, removing his hand from Arthur's forehead lest the omega wake and bite it off. It was a very real threat to his person.

"Yeah..." Alfred agreed, hovering near.

Francis regarded the other alpha, looking back at the very asleep Arthur, the compress balanced on his forehead, and the untouched bowl of soup on the side table.

He frowned, a niggling sensation that something was amiss leaving him anxious.

"Well, we shall simply have to let him rest then..." He told Alfred, guiding the other alpha out with a hand upon his back. Shutting the door to the bedroom, he started for the kitchen and began to help himself to its contents.

Alfred watched him work, seemingly unconcerned as he set about pulling out some mugs. "Francis..." He began. There was a hollow tone to his voice-- weary. "What do you know about Arthur's dad?"

Despite himself, he froze. Looking down at the mug and the coffee and the cream, he had to force himself to keep calm as he said: "I know that he is less respectable than the scum beneath the heel of one's boot." He said tensely.

Glancing at Alfred sharply, he added a rather accusative:

"Why?"

The other alpha flinched and then, all at once, looked a mixture of depressed and guilty. "I... I wanted to call his family to tell them that he was sick and..."

" _Merde_..." Francis hissed, already feeling the oncoming headache. "You did not..."

"I-- yeah..." Alfred swallowed, the alpha's Adam's apple bouncing lightly. "I did."

Staring down at the counter, Francis dug his nails into the tiling. "Well?" He said, awaiting the bad news. "What did he say?"

"He... never really let me tell him anything. He just found out that I was an alpha and thought that I-- that we'd--,"

"Hm." Francis hummed. "And then?"

"He told me to fuck off."

The bark of laughter that escaped him felt almost like a relief as he went back to tasking his hands with chaotic, fluid motion, mixing this and pouring that. "That was all?" He said, feeling the tension in his body ease.

Alfred was confused and rightfully so, but it wasn't Francis' place to give away secrets that weren't his. "Yeah. I mean... Arthur's dad seems like an asshole."

"Oh, he is, he is." The cafe owner told him, nodding to his own words. "He is the worst kind of human being in existence and, as reluctant as I am to say it, Arthur is more well-adjusted than one would expect, being raised as he had been, but then... you should really ask _him_ about these things instead of prying into his private life, hm?" Francis said, pushing a mug of milk and honey into the other alpha's hands.

Alfred took the object without question, adjusting it and looked altogether uncomfortable. "Sorry... I didn't mean to--,"

"Oh, don't apologize to me." Francis quipped. "Arthur is the one you should worry about. But spare the poor thing for now. As sick as he is, I fear he'll do something we'll all regret."

"Okay..."

Hopeless. Everyone was hopeless. Francis shook his head and made a shooing motion with his hands. "Go wake him and make him drink that. In case your nose is broken, our little omega is in dire need of calcium."

Suddenly given a mission, some life returned to Alfred as he nodded. "Okay, I will!" Halfway out the kitchen door he stopped and looked at the elder alpha. "Thanks for coming, Francis."

He just shook his head and shrugged emphatically. "I had no choice. Were I not to, Arthur may have very well killed you." He wrinkled his nose, wryly adding, "I would be an accomplice due to my inaction."

It seemed the joke was lost on Alfred, who simply gave him a strange look before disappearing down the hall.

Ah, what wonderful, young naivety.

Or, perhaps, just simple stupidity.

 

Arthur could hear someone calling his name.

It was faint at first and he grumbled at it, assuming it would drift away on its own into nothingness as it always had before, but all he heard was a laugh and then there was a cool palm pushing aside his bangs and that was enough to rouse him.

"W- wha..." He murmured intelligently, the pounding in his head making him wince as he blinked into the darkness. Everything was hot... and he felt sweaty...

"Hey, you're awake." A voice said, sounding soft and pleased and, really, that combination of emotions threw him off more than he'd like to admit. And then, "Can you sit up?"

Arthur could have rolled his eyes but he didn't. " 'course I... can sit up..." He groused, pushing himself upright. Oh, but he felt horrible for it and turned to lie back down again.

That laugh bubbled up again and he felt an arm press at his back. "Oh no you don't." At once he was propped up against _something_ and it took him a moment to realize that it was a chest.

The scent of an alpha blanketed him then and he felt himself relax, soothed in a way that was hard to describe.

"I have some milk for you." He was told.

Oh.

His stomach cramped all at once, pining and needy, and he was relieved the moment a mug was pushed into his hands, the alpha's fingers lingering in case he lost his hold on it. He ignored this gesture, however, pressing the heated rim to his lips and drinking down the liquid greedily, distantly impressed that the temperature seemed exactly perfect.

It was sweet and creamy and, for just a moment, the world felt like a perfect place.

Two-thirds of the milk gone and he couldn't stomach any more, the item pulled away from him and set aside. Out of sight, out of mind. He quickly forgot about it.

But he didn't forget about the warmth behind him and, for some reason, it simply seemed natural to turn onto his side, pillowing his head against that broad chest and burying his nose in a shirt that smelled like heaven.

He fell asleep like that, cream on his lips as he was cradled by an alpha that didn't dare to wake him by moving.


	10. Chapter 10

Arthur woke feeling strangely groggy, comfortably warm, and with a light headache that buzzed in his skull more than it throbbed, as though he hadn't had a good drink of water in a long while. Shifting beneath the cover of blankets, he _almost_ wasn't alarmed at the weight slung over his side until he realized, belatedly, that it was an arm. And arms tended to belong to other people. Which this one most certainly did.

An alpha, in fact.

One that woke fairly quickly after a surprised yelp as Arthur shoved him away and fled the bed, the omega stumbling over not only his feet but the pajama pants that clearly weren't his considering that they went so far as to cover his toes.

"Arthur, wait, I--,"

"You _what_ \--?" The omega spat, turning on his heel to glare at the man who had somehow swindled him into his bed. He couldn't remember the details of it, but that hardly mattered. This room absolutely reeked of Alfred and there was no question in his mind as to where he was.

The alpha seemed to falter, a perplexed expression flickering across his idiotic face as though he had to process his own wrong-doing. "Arthur, you're sick." He said, hand raised as though to touch him.

The omega batted it away. "No-- _you're_ sick!" He bit back. "You're the one who--,"

"You had a fever, I was just trying to--,"

"Piss off, you bloody--,"

"Ah... I see our little invalid is awake now..." Francis commented from the doorway, looking fairly sleep-added himself what with the loose, silk pajamas and the mussed hair. Arthur had to double take.

"What the bloody hell is going on--,"

And then it was _Francis_ trying to man-handle him all of a sudden, obnoxious, manicured fingers pressing against his shoulders and guiding him back to bed. Arthur swatted his hands away too, annoyance spiking when the alpha tutted at him.

"Arthur..." Alfred said, looking lost. "You were really, _really_ sick. Like... you had a fever. Then you had really bad chills. Don't you remember any of that?"

A moment's contemplation and Arthur found a most emphatic and definitive, "No."

"Alfred slept next to you to keep you warm, _mon cher_." Francis added, voice soft in a way that inferred the omega's vulnerability. Arthur hated when he used that tone with him. "A noble effort, I would like to point out, considering that you're a very restless sleeper..."

Glancing between the two, Arthur found himself wary, but... now that they mentioned it, he didn't feel violated in any way. He just felt exhausted and more than a little drained.

A warm feeling pooled in his chest suddenly at the thought that the two had actually taken care of him. Well, perhaps not _Francis_ \-- Francis could bugger off for all he cared.

But Alfred...

Looking at the alpha, he felt distressed suddenly at how tired the other man looked. And... sad, too. It was a pang in his chest and it stung and, quite honestly, Arthur hated the fact that it affected him at all, but...

"I didn't need you to take care of me." The omega told him stiffly, fidgeting with the too long sleeves of the shirt he was wearing. It smelled mostly like Alfred. The clothing probably belonged to him and Arthur wasn't certain how he felt about that fact. "However... since it's in your nature, then perhaps it couldn't be helped."

He shot Francis a look when the alpha snorted at that before his gaze turned back to gauge Alfred's reaction.

The alpha looked immensely more relieved now. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Arthur felt his face heat at the sincere response. "O- oh, um... Yes."

Alfred's eyes--a radiant sort of sky blue color without those glasses covering them--flashed with worry. "You should still rest a little longer though. I don't think you're well enough to go home just yet."

Normally Arthur would have scoffed at that, but he lightly bit his tongue, instead managing a reluctant, "I suppose..."

The smile Alfred gave him set his heart in a tizzy and he suddenly felt muddy headed as he began for the bed, got atop the mattress, pulled the covers over himself, and was promptly tucked in and offered water and pain killers.

He was being _doted_ on.

It made him feel small and strange and weak but... at the same time it made him feel fluttery and needed somehow. Alfred was so careful with him--always thoughtful and fussing in a charming, fumbling sort of alpha way. It was nice.

This was nice.

 

Arthur completely missed the knowing look Francis shot him before the elder alpha left the room.

 

Alfred felt like he was on top of the world.

Okay, maybe that was something of an exaggeration, but, as the heated stream of the shower washed over his skin, he couldn't help but to reflect upon the last couple of days. Namely that he'd taken Arthur to his apartment, helped nursed him back to him, and, for the most part, things seemed to be okay between them now. That morning he'd made the omega exactly what he'd been craving--sausage rolls and eggs with syrup--and after he'd eaten the smaller man had smiled at him.

A real, bright sort of smile. One Alfred had never seen him wear before. It wasn't like the gentle turn of lips that he'd give to customers...

No, it was something that had felt infinitely more intimate. Maybe it wasn't a mate's smile or even a courting smile, but it was... it was _something_. It was something soft and happy and Arthur. And it had warmed him right down to his core.

Francis had told him to just let the omega go home after and to not ask him out just yet and he'd heeded that advice, but then...

... then _Arthur_ had given him his number!

Just as the omega was leaving, he'd turned and handed him a slip of paper with the numbers carefully scrawled in long, elegant strokes.

"This is better than you disturbing me during work hours." He'd been told.

Scrubbing at his body, Alfred washed everything. Hair, face, skin-- _everything_. He was a new man--a new alpha--and he had not only forgiven by the omega of dreams, but he'd. gotten. his. number.

Maybe he'd performed one or two stupid little dances in the shower, unable to contain his joy. And maybe, _just maybe_ , he'd sung, belting out lyrics as the acoustics of the room bolstered his voice. But in the end, that was irrelevant.

Because things were looking up.

They really, really were.


	11. Chapter 11

"You're in a good mood." Matthew noted wryly, dragging his spoon through his cereal before indulging in a bite. It wasn't every day that his brother visited, but since he'd shown up the night before their household had been in something of a fuss. Their mom probably would have made a huge breakfast for the two of them if it weren't for the fact that she had a dentist's appointment.

"Two dates." Alfred told, ginning openly. "Two."

"Yes, yes..." The omega said, shaking his head although his lips gave away his mirth. His brother had repeated that sentiment over a hundred times now and it was driving him nuts. "Three dates..."

"Two!" Alfred corrected quickly.

"Oh." He held back his laughter. "Two, then." And then, "Only two?" Oh man, why was his brother so easy...

"Well, yes. I mean-- I don't want to rush him and he's uh... really busy with his shop, right? So..."

"Mhm..." Matthew smiled and took another bite of his cereal, mulling things over. After all that had happened between his brother and the omega, it was actually fairly surprising that they had managed to get this far, but he was happy for them, he really was. Alfred, as pathetic as he was, deserved happiness just as much as anyone else did. And this Arthur fellow seemed to like him well enough. If they really did end up as mates, he could at least credit himself for attempting to steer Alfred in the right direction.

As much as that had failed over and over again in the past.

Yet there was a chance, so they'd just have to wait and see.

 

Arthur looked absolutely stunning.

Well, truth be told, he _always_ looked stunning to Alfred. He could be in the finest suit or the rattiest t-shirt and the alpha would still think that he was the most handsome, gorgeous omega to have ever existed. He was somewhat aware of his infatuation and just how bad it was, but none of that mattered in the end because this was heaven and Arthur was definitely his angel.

He pulled out the omega's chair and helped him into his seat.

Arthur was looking around, green eyes glimmering and curious, his suit, a fine, wealthy-looking attire with a white tie pin as was classic of courted omega males. He smiled coyly at Alfred, which made the alpha's heart jump. "This is quite the restaurant for our third date." He commented lightly.

And, oh man, it was. This place was going to cost him two weeks' worth of pay, but he had no regrets. "I wanted to spoil you a little."

The omega's eyebrows shot up and he shook his head with a laugh. "You truly are an idiot. I _have_ seen your apartment, Alfred. I know that you can't afford this." A sigh. "You really should have selected somewhere more within your budget. I'll help pay the tab. I can--,"

"No." Alfred said quickly, dismissing the idea with his hand as though it had a physical presence. "I'm gonna do this right. You're getting treated."

"Well then." Arthur mused, his scent flickering with something that seemed secretly pleased. Alfred could have very well just preened right then and there. Oh yes, two weeks' worth of pay was nothing if it put that little, embarrassed smile on the other man's face.

A waiter arrived, asking them about their wine selection, and Alfred let Arthur choose, which was good because the omega seemed to actually know what was what and picked something out for the two of them. Alfred was quietly relieved to note that it _wasn't_ the most expensive thing on the menu.

The waiter walked away and they shared a knowing look.

"I think I love you." Alfred said suddenly, the words tumbling out of his mouth, completely skipping any and all filters in his brain.

Arthur's jaw dropped. "Y- you-- I beg your pardon--?"

Oh, he was an idiot, a moron, a grade A, class 1, top notch dork who had just said something stupid and forward and, _wow_ , he could never tell his brother this but he probably would because, man, if he couldn't keep his mouth shut now then how could he possibly keep his mouth shut then?

_'Never lie to an omega when the truth is at hand, no matter how you think they will take it. A small lie wounds more than any harmful truth.'_

He really hoped that passage of the book knew what it was talking about.

"I... I love you, Arthur." He said, awkwardly, flushing, and not at all suave like he imagined he would be when he said this--this was no low-dip in front of a night-lit Eiffel Tower, for one.

"Alfred..." Arthur murmured, looking shocked, his own face quickly turning red.

A beat of silence.

Alfred looked up at the omega, worriedly toying with his napkin. "Do you... love _me?_ " He asked, although from the other man's silence he felt that he already knew the answer.

A scowl flickered onto Arthur's face. "You're playing dirty, asking something like that..." He reprimanded. Then the omega leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, haughty. "This is only our third date. It's too soon to decide something like that. I _like_ you, certainly, or I wouldn't be here, but lo-- well, you know." Emerald frowned at him. "That sort of thing takes time, Alfred."

The alpha swallowed. "Yeah, I--... Yeah." He took a breath and raked a hand through his hair. "Sorry. You probably think I'm a total creep now and I-- well I didn't mean for that. See, I've... known about you for a while actually so I guess this kind of thing just came more quickly for me but..."

He looked up at Arthur, suddenly serious.

"I do love you." He said, feeling more confident now. There was an excited adrenaline running through him at having finally admitted this. "I really, _really_ do. I only want what will make you happy, even if that ends up not being with me. I know we-- I know we're _compatible_ , but I would never want you to be unhappy. I'm not trying to trap you by saying this, but... you're special, Arthur. You're _real_ special. And I want you to know that."

The omega was staring at him, a hand held to his chest, looking both emotional and lost. After a moment he seemed to find himself again, smiling down at his lap, a breathless laugh escaping him as he shook his head.

A tear slipped down his cheek as he looked up again, his hand quickly brushing the wetness away.

"You _idiot_." Arthur remarked fondly just before the wine arrived.

 

Things really picked up after that.

Alfred found himself fitting into the role of 'possible mate' and 'boyfriend' with relative ease. He loved seeing Arthur smile and he loved bringing him gifts and he loved teasing him and smelling him and asking him out to dinner, the movies, the park, or anywhere else. It was cloud nine, no doubt about that.

And Arthur, for his part, felt like his heart was going to burst.

As far as alphas went, he had always had it hammered into him via lessons that a mate needed to be reputable, respectable, attractive, and wealthy. That was just how it was done. However he'd never put much stock in all of that, discarding it along with his father's wish that he breed with so-and-so or form a business-family relationship with such-and-such. He wanted to choose his own mate and for his insolence he was practically disowned, but none of that mattered to him.

_Alfred_ mattered.

He may not have been the most intelligent creature on two legs nor the most wealthy, but he was indeed handsome and kind and earnest and honest in that stupid sort of way that the omega was quickly falling for. Even Francis had commented a short, _'You smell more and more of that boy each day,_ mon cher _. You must certainly like him, to tolerate him so...'_

And that was not an inaccurate statement.

Alfred, for all his bloody faults, had wormed himself right into the omega's heart. He was loved--Alfred made sure he knew that. Little cups of tea from the shop delivered between the alpha's classes while Arthur was at work... Little notes left in his place whenever the boy visited, reminding him that he was lovely and smart and amazing... Flowers picked out from his own shop and purchased so that Alfred could give them to him because _'they reminded me of you and I think they would look really great in your home'_...

No matter what anyone else said, he found himself smitten. Alfred was perfect and he was beginning to love him.

And, well, one couldn't just announce that out of the blue, could they? He wanted it to be special. He wanted to give back a little too--to show Alfred, himself, how much _he_ was valued.

So he pulled out his phone, humming to himself as he stopped with the flower arrangement he was working on to shoot of a quick message.

_'Dinner at my place tonight?'_

He slipped the device into his pocket only to laugh as it chirped but one minute later, pulling it back out to find an enthusiastic:

_'sounds awesome! i'll b there! :)'_

He didn't even cringe at the language, instead exhaling a fond, lovesick sigh.

Tonight he'd take that boy to his bed.


	12. Chapter 12

They were kissing--!

Alfred hadn't exactly expected anything particularly new when he'd arrived at Arthur's place for dinner, but he _had_   been somewhat surprised at the... choice cuisine the omega had claimed to have 'just whipped up'. He wasn't really sure what it was supposed to be and it had honestly alarmed him, but he'd wisely kept his mouth shut and eaten every last bite figuring that something horrible must have happened in the process and Arthur was just saving face.

He'd even called it 'delicious', which wasn't quite the way he planned to describe it to Matthew later.

It was the kind of charcoal black singe that could turn a stomach and make you gag, but all of that was beside the point because now...

Now they were kissing, like, honestly _really_ kissing. On the omega's bed.

Every bite of dinner had been thoroughly worth it.

Of course they'd kissed before, but only just a little bit. Chaste presses of lips and sometimes, daringly, a nice make out session after a date. It wasn't anything quite like the party where they'd met, but it was enjoyable nonetheless and more so due to the fact that their relationship was clearly going somewhere--they weren't just strangers running off to engage in a one night stand, after all. They were courting.

Arthur had told him to follow, leading him to the omega's relatively luxurious bedroom. He'd sat on his bed, coy and expectant and making Alfred's heart do all sorts of funny little flips.

They were just making out though, right? So there was nothing really unexpected about this... He was a big boy, he knew how to kiss and grab and... stuff.

But.

Arthur was undoing the buttons of his shirt.

Alfred pulled back from the kiss, parting for air as he looked at the omega with open confusion. "U- um... what are you--?"

The omega smiled slyly, undoing the last of the buttons. "I wanted to see more of you." He said, running his fingers along Alfred's chest.

The alpha shivered slightly under his touch. "Okay." He said, feeling his mouth go strangely dry. He felt nervous, and painfully so, but... they were just kissing, so it was fine.

Arthur looked up at him. "Well?" He asked. "Don't you want to take off my shirt?"

Alfred's face went red. "D- do you... Do you _want_ me to take off your shirt--?"

The omega exhaled a noise that the alpha couldn't quite understand before shaking his head. "Alfred, we're on my bed. I'm undressing you. I'm asking if you want to undress me. What do you _think_ I want?"

"O- oh, I..." Alfred felt paralyzed. "The book said only to consider sex after date five!"

Arthur was staring at him, face blank and brows raised. He blinked. And then he laughed. "Book--?" He asked, hiding his mouth behind his hand as though that'd conceal some of his amusement.

The alpha sputtered, "Y- yeah, well, I mean I-- I just-- it's been really helpful and I--,"

"You're hopeless." Arthur said suddenly, standing up.

Alfred felt his heart jolt. "Arthur, I--,"

The omega gave him a look. "Lay down."

"What?"

Arthur pointed to the bed. "Lay down." He repeated, this time with exasperation.

The alpha did as he was bid, laying down on the overly soft comforter with no small amount of unease. He wasn't sure if this was going to lead to sex but... he couldn't handle it if it did, right? Sex was easy! He'd seen loads of it in books and movies and stuff and anatomically it was just a block A to slot B type of thing, so... it was straight-forward. All alphas were awesome at sex. It was just--... It was instinctive!

He made a noise of surprise when Arthur followed him onto the bed only to straddle him.

"Stop being so jumpy..." The omega said. Alfred was pretty sure that expression was pity.

A slim hand found the crotch of his jeans and started to massage, which made all of the muscles in his body tense up at once.

Arthur sighed. "Maybe this was a mistake..." He said, looking a little put out at how unready for all of this Alfred was.

"N- no, I, um--,"

"I'm sorry." The omega added. "I pushed you too far, didn't I?"

Alfred blinked, his face red and his body rigid. "Um..."

"Look, I don't... know your sexual history or anything but..." Arthur drawled, those green eyes framed by dark lashes, mesmerizing him, "do you _want_ to do these things with me?"

"Yeah, I..." Alfred swallowed and gave a short nod. "Yeah."

"Okay then, I'll start with something easier..." The omega conceded, slipping back...

... only to expertly work open his pants.

Alfred felt his heartbeat in his ears.

Arthur smiled up at him as he worked low his underwear, teasing the hem. "Red, white, and blue--?"

The alpha grimaced.

"Cute." The omega added, before palming at his flaccid cock in an attempt to work him up.

It felt good. _Really_ good. His hands were softer and smaller than Alfred's own and warm, too. It was surreal having someone else touch him like this. Sure he'd done a little bit of this kind of stuff before in high school, but that had been so long ago...

"Mm... You're getting harder now." Arthur teased as Alfred felt himself beginning to relax a little bit.

This was okay, right? He wanted this, so it should be fine. It was Arthur doing it too and, _wow_ , the more he thought about it the more he really liked that idea. Looking down, he watched as those deft fingers gripped him, stroking him, the omega's face one of concentration.

Alfred swallowed, breathing going shallow.

"Hm... Do you like this?" Arthur asked, eyes flickering up to meet his. The omega was bent forward over him, having adjusted back so that he was straddling his knees.

"Yeah, it's-- it's good..." Alfred said, nodding again.

"I'm glad." Arthur told him.

And then the omega's pink, little tongue came out and flicked the head before going at it again with more force, Arthur running the flat of it against his shaft.

The alpha had to hold back a groan at the feeling wet heat, the erotic display before him much, _much_   more vivid than any of his dreams had ever been.

Arthur smiled. "You're as red as a tomato." The omega told him, almost gleeful. However, before Alfred could even manage to find some kind of retort for that, Arthur was leaning in and taking his full length, inch by inch, into his mouth.

The alpha made a dignified squeak noise.

Whether or not Arthur noticed he didn't act on it, instead now fully consumed with getting Alfred's cock as far into his mouth as he could possibly manage, which was... pretty damn far, actually. The alpha wasn't about to ask _why_ he knew how to do that, but _oh god_ did it feel good. His tongue and mouth were hot and wet and warm and tight and he wasn't even sure what the hell he was doing but there was feeling and suction and...

Oh man...

Arthur, the omega, this omega, _his omega_ , was bobbing his head, the heat gliding over his shaft amazing, better than anything he'd ever felt before in his life. It was stupendous. If he could have packaged this and had if whenever he wanted then he would have. Arthur was amazing. This was amazing.

It was just pure, unfiltered, _feeling_.

And then, all too soon, he came, and Arthur made a noise at that, suddenly swallowing down his seed erotically before breaking away with a gasped pop, semen leaking from the side of his mouth.

Alfred's cock twitched a final time, surprising the omega who blinked as a line of hot white streaked his cheek and immediately started to drip.

Panting and overwhelmed, the alpha looked up to find Arthur's lips blush red, skin only slightly flushed, and identifiable fluids on his face.

Oh he would have _paid_ for a photo of that.

For a moment the omega was owlish, somehow surprised, and Alfred laughed a little at his expression. "Was I that good?"

Arthur's eyes met his, brows quirking strangely, the omega's expression turning mirthful yet humored. It wasn't quite a look that the alpha had expected.

"What?"

"I--... I'm sorry, Alfred, I just..." Arthur was giggling now and it looked like he was clearly trying _not_   to but he was regardless. "You... You only lasted thirty seconds...."

Despite the remnants of pleasure coursing through him, Alfred suddenly wanted to crawl into a hole and die.


	13. Chapter 13

It was neither mature nor intelligent, but Alfred was very firmly attached to the pillow he'd placed over his head.

Arthur lightly tugged at it. "Come on out from there..." He requested softly.

Alfred shook his head, the motion noticeable through the protective layer of fluff.

Leaning back slightly, the omega frowned, worrying his lip as he thought over his options. "I said I was sorry." He reminded him, lightly running his fingers over the alpha's back. "You know I'm actually quite flattered. You made me feel like I had a good deal of talent."

Blue eyes peeked out from over a shoulder, Alfred laying out on the bed on his stomach.

"What's wrong?" Arthur queried, leaning in and brushing blond strands of hair away from the alpha's pretty eyes.

"I dun' wanna talk about it..." Alfred grumbled.

"What don't you want to talk about?" The omega prodded, keeping his voice low. Of course he felt guilty for what he had done--who wouldn't?--but he didn't want to escalate matters. He wanted to defuse this, if he could.

The alpha took the pillow off of his head and exhaled a great sigh that was likely more for air than for exasperation. "This--," he drawled out, guesting with a hand before just settling on, "This."

"What?"

"Everything!"

Arthur felt a knotted tangle of emotions tighten in his chest. "What is everything?" He asked, stroking Alfred's arm.

The alpha bowed his head. "I--... I'm defective..."

The omega felt his entire body go tense before his startled expression turned to one of concern. "Don't you dare say that. You are no such thing."

Alfred rubbed at an eye and it was only then the omega realized that he was starting to tear up. "But I-- I _am_. I mean... my parents never said anything about it but... they're really nice and I just-- I..."

"No, no, no... Come here..." Arthur murmured, hands carefully nesting in the alpha's hair and tugging him lower so that his face was pressed into the omega's shoulder. Alfred turned his head, the cold of his nose brushing Arthur's neck. "You're not a defective alpha. Don't ever say that again."

Alfred sniffled. "I can't--... I mean..."

"Hm?" Arthur encouraged, stroking golden strands, letting the feeling run between his fingers.

"I'm a failure." The alpha muttered, voice heavy with remorse. "I don't know how to act or-- or what to do. I have to look at books and... and I fucked up before and made you upset and I'm not experienced in bed and you're older than me and I'm just some kid with a part time job and cheap apartment and I--..."

_Oh_.

So that's how it was.

Arthur felt a weight settle over him--it was one of regret. They might not have known each other very long, but Alfred was struggling and it pained him inside, only worsening upon the realization that he'd been contributing to it the entire time.

The Ideal Alpha.

A man or woman who was confident, smart, charismatic, with good grades, good looks, and great strength. They were taller than their omegas, made more money than their omegas, and excelled at being both protective and caring. They marked what was theirs, they had lots of children, and they kept a firm grip on both work and family, protecting their territory at every turn.

It was a nearly impossible standard to live up to, but that didn't stop people from trying. And that didn't stop people from expecting it.

Arthur knew exactly what that felt like.

_Which is why he should have known better_.

"Alfred..." The omega murmured, burying his hand in the alpha's hair and turning his head to press a kiss to his bangs. "I'm so sorry I made you feel this way. You're not inadequate. I... I care about you. I don't need you to be anything other than who _you_ are."

"You're just sayin' that..." The alpha replied quietly, sounding very much as though he were blaming himself for all of this.

"No." Arthur told him. "No, I'm really not."

He guided Alfred up to look at him, running his thumbs under those sad, misty blue eyes.

"I understand." He said, pressing their foreheads together.

Alfred's hand found his knee, the fingers there stroking it idly. "... You do?"

"I do." Arthur breathed. "I... I _really_  do. And I failed you, because I didn't realize sooner that... that you were like me-- that I was doing what I hated most to you too."

"I don't know what you mean..." The alpha looked up at him, confusion swimming behind his glasses.

"You're not perfect. I wouldn't want you to be. I'm sorry I treated you as though you--... as though you were one of those alphas on television. As though you were _supposed_   to be one of them."

Alfred's lips pressed together in a firm line, his general appearance haggard, as though he was dealing with realizing something that he had only just come to terms with. Arthur wondered if it was the same feeling he had felt back then-- the beginning of acceptance. The idea that he wasn't perfect, he would never _be_   perfect, and that that was okay.

It wasn't a good feeling, but it was a necessary one.

Arthur ran his fingertips over the other man's smooth cheek. "I'm not perfect either, you know."

The alpha looked up at him, interest there. He was trying to puzzle out what Arthur meant.

The omega smiled at that. "Do you want to know a little secret?" He said coyly, hoping maybe his own broken pieces could serve as a way to cheer the alpha up, if only just slightly.

"What?" Alfred asked, openly curious now.

Arthur's smile was fragile but self-aware as he said, "I want to bite you."

The alpha blinked at him, brow furrowing. "What?" He repeated, this time his tone confused.

The omega laughed. "I want to bite you." He repeated, feeling very silly admitting this. "It's... something I learned about myself when I was younger, but... I want to bite your neck. I want to leave marks. I want to-- I mean, I'm _territorial_. And I'm attracted to you. I don't want anyone else to think they can go after you." His face was red hot now, flushed with embarrassment. Omegas guarded their alpha's, certainly, but this went beyond just that. This tread quite clearly into what was alpha territory and he had had lovers before who were appalled when he had nipped little marks onto their necks. It wasn't that he had meant to do it--he became swept up in the moment and then it just happened...

But that wasn't the only quirk Arthur had, just perhaps the most humorous one.

That didn't stop him from looking up at Alfred expectantly, however, wondering if maybe this knowledge might arouse the disgust that he was so afraid of seeing on the other's face.

For a long moment the alpha's expression was blank as he thought over what Arthur had said, but then it turned into one of contemplation. "You... want to mark me? Like... ownership?"

Arthur felt his embarrassment double. "I-- y- yes... I do. It's not a mating bite, just... well..."

"I gotcha." Then the alpha pouted a little, picking at the fabric of his jeans. "I'm still upset that you laughed." He told him.

"I would expect you to be." Arthur said, bowing his head. "I'm sorry."

"But..."

The omega looked up at that.

The alpha was blushing, a stupidly broad grin on his face. "If you care about me enough to want to _mark_ me... I mean... well, maybe... that's okay then..."

Arthur had to suppress his own smile lest it spread and become as huge as Alfred's. It seemed he thought it a term of endearment.

Honestly... it sort of was, wasn't it?

"I'll make it up to you." Arthur promised him, sincere. "What I've done, I mean. I like you. And I enjoyed doing things together. I... I would like to do more."

"I liked it too." Alfred said, face red. There was embarrassment there, but happiness too. "It felt really, really good."

The knot in Arthur's chest eased a little. "I'm glad."

Blue eyes flashed at him, excited. "I want to try this biting thing next time too!"

Arthur sputtered. "Y- you want to--?"

"Yeah! I mean... I'm, uh... I'm inexperienced but..." He was flushing a deep red now.

This wasn't just merely embarrassment.

Arthur's eyes widened as he noticed the slight scent of arousal. And then his features relaxed into a smile. "Okay." He told him. "I'll mark you all over so that everyone knows who it is that you're courting."

The scent spiked up and in a sudden rush of motion Arthur found himself splayed on his back on the bed, Alfred leaning over him with the energy of an overly large puppy. "Let's do it now!"

"Now!?" Arthur balked. "You're ready to go again already?"

Alfred just grinned at him, only marginally sheepish. "Yeah." He admitted.

Arthur marveled at the man's short refractory period before swallowing, his own unsated body reminding him that he had had dreams about what the alpha could possibly do to him and this was the perfect time to explore that little laundry list.

The omega just laughed, reaching up to tweak his cowlick.

"You're perfect." He told him, affectionate, hoping that one day, if they were still together, he could make that message sink in. He knew what he had done, but staring up into eyes the color of the sky made his heart skip beats. In this moment he wanted this alpha, now and forever, every little detail about him singing a chorus of beauty and strength and warmth. To think that he could have overlooked all that, even for just a second...

The megawatt smile he received for his comment made his chest expand with butterflies and heat.

Alfred leaned down for a kiss.

Lips pressed together, a tender intoxication, Arthur's chest felt warm and tight and scared for the future.

He wanted this Alfred.

He really did.

He just prayed that, in the end, the alpha would continue to want him too.


	14. Chapter 14

With Alfred's enthusiasm pushing things along, Arthur felt his own confidence rising as well, the alpha's hands up his shirt and his own wound around the other man's neck. It seemed he was exploring, because he curiously tweaked a nipple, causing the omega to moan against his lips.

They parted, mostly for air, but Alfred stayed close, "God you're fucking sexy."

Arthur felt his face heat. "I- idiot..." He muttered, swallowing. And then, "You... smell good."

"Mm? Do I?" Alfred laughed slightly before kissing him again. Arthur returned the wet heat of feeling before the alpha pulled back. "How good do I smell? You said you wanted to bite me, right? I wanna see you do it..."

It felt like someone had pulled a thick layer of instinct over his intellectual functions because the only thing that Arthur could think in that moment was that he wasn't even in heat but by god did he want this man to fuck him.

The omega leaned up, pressing his nose into the line of the alpha's jaw, drunk off scent. Alfred smelled like sandalwood and wildflowers and the ocean. It made his head spin.

Before he could even think about it his teeth found the crook of his parter's neck and buried themselves there, biting down almost hard enough to break skin. After a handful of seconds the urge felt momentarily sated and he released, suddenly aware of Alfred's tension.

He didn't have time to question it, however, because the alpha was on him again, kissing him feverishly, and Arthur relaxed and buried his hand in his hair as he arched up against him, feeling a creeping, burning need between his legs that was starting to ache.

He hadn't been this aroused in a long, long time.

 

Arthur was amazing.

It didn't matter if he was grumpy and made mean comments and sometimes picked on his sense of fashion or his hair or his eating habits or any of the other little nagging things he sometimes did.

Because, looking down at him down, hair splayed out like a halo, green eyes deep and soft and fragile, pale skin flushed a red and lips separated just enough to allow soft, tiny breaths of air to leave him... Arthur was amazing. He was beautiful and perfect and amazing.

"Do you want to... well...?" The omega asked him, voice softly winded.

Alfred huffed a laugh. "If you can stand it lasting thirty seconds..." He teased.

The omega instantly looked guilty and Alfred regretted bringing that up again now.

"Yeah." He continued, before Arthur could start in on the apologizing again. "I... I want to."

"Alright." Arthur murmured softly and he felt himself relax as those warm fingers massaged at his scalp. "We'll have to undress properly then."

"Hm... You mean I should undress you?"

Arthur smiled at him. "If you want to."

Alfred just grinned. Shifting his hands down to the omega's sides, he tugged at the hem of the shirt, working it up over Arthur's head as his courting mate arched up to allow the fabric to slide free. Shirtless, he looked even better and the alpha indulged in leaning forward to suckle gently at one of his nipples.

He _had_   watched a lot of porn, after all.

Arthur keened against him, the noise surprisingly omega-like and somehow unexpected, a higher-pitched noise of pleasure as he pressed into the attention. Alfred released it with slight gasp.

"Wow." He murmured, awed.

The omega squirmed a little. "I hope you're planning on taking responsibility for that..."

" _Hell yeah_." Alfred told him, stripping off his own shirt and throwing it off... somewhere. It didn't really mattered where their clothes were, seeing as they didn't need them right now.

Arthur was already working off his pants so Alfred helped him, tugging the material down his legs and discarding them off to the side before admiring what he could see of his partner, his fingers brushing a thigh.

"They're so smooth..."

"Of course they are." Arthur said, pouting a little. "Now take off your pants."

"Yes sir." Alfred managed to get his own off quickly enough, leaving them both in no more than their underwear, the alpha's being a loose pair of boxers that were definitely tenting quite a bit and the omega's a pair of briefs which were clearly doing the same.

Alfred smiled at him.

"Ready?" The alpha asked.

"Of course." Arthur admonished. "I've been ready since you swept me off my feet at that party."

"Swept you off your feet, huh?" Alfred repeated, preening a little as he fingered at the hem of the omega's underwear. When impatience flickered in the other's scent he began to tug them down, feeling giddy as all of Arthur was revealed before him, eyes memorizing everything that he could. "God you're pretty..."

The omega hmph'ed, shaking his head before giving him a look of mirth. "Underwear off." He said.

Considering that Arthur had already seen it once that night, Alfred didn't feel that self-conscious revealing himself as he tugged the fabric down and discarded it, the both of them now completely nude together on the bed.

He swallowed, wondering what, exactly, came next.

"Have you ever fingered someone before?" Arthur asked, moving to the side of the bed to pull something out of the low table.

Alfred felt his face heat at the bluntness of the question. "Uh... No?"

"Alright, then we'll go slow, okay?"

"Do I need to, um... finger you?" He asked, peering at the bottle of lube the omega had produced.

Arthur smiled slightly at him, incredulous. "Well you can't just stick it in..." He said, which wasn't really news to Alfred but it _was_ kind of news to Alfred.

"Oh." The alpha nodded. "And the lube?"

"You're thinking of heat slick. We don't produce much lubricant when we're outside of heat."

Alfred nodded, absorbing every word. "Alright, so I just need to... stick my fingers inside of you with lubricant. Gotcha."

Arthur made a face at that before laughing. "We'll work on dirty talk another time..." He quipped lightly before handing the alpha the bottle. To Alfred's complete shock, the omega rolled onto his stomach and stuck his ass in the air, legs parting slightly, revealing a whole hell of a lot more than he was expecting.

He felt his erection throb wantingly.

"This position should be pretty easy for you." Arthur said, voice slightly muffled with how his cheek was pressed to the duvet. "So just put some lube on your fingers and try-- but start with just one!"

"Okay." Alfred said, spreading the cool liquid over a couple of fingers. He sniffed it and winkled his nose, the smell strange and synthetic, before shifting forward to openly admire Arthur's ass now that the omega couldn't see him.

This was some next level DVD stuff right here. His instincts were going crazy at this point, pushed by both the enticing scent and that erotic sight.

Feeling a sudden rise of confidence, he pressed his finger to Arthur's hole, slightly afraid to hurt him, watching with fascination as it easily slid in.

"Oh, that's cold..." Arthur hissed, but the sigh he exhaled after that sounded fond. "G- good, now... just pull out and push in a little bit. It's pretty easy to work me open so you should be able to add a second finger in a minute or so."

"Alright." Alfred murmured, enamored with the act of slowly thrusting his finger into Arthur, watching the stretch and glide and feeling his throat go tight. He started to explore a little bit, feeling the silky, hot walls as anticipation pooled in his lower regions.

"That's good, that's good..." The omega panted lightly. "Now you can probably add a second fing-- _ahhh_ \--!"

Alfred froze, the sudden, yelped moan making a wash of heat run through him.

Arthur was gasping, "G- great job." He wheezed. "You found my prostate with all that prodding of yours..."

"Is that good?" The alpha asked, slightly concerned.

"Er, well, it _feels_ rather good--strong, but good--so I suppose so-- _nngh_ \-- _A- Alfred--_ _!"_   The omega squirmed but the alpha hooked his arm around one of those milky thighs and held him pinned.

"I like this." Alfred declared suddenly, attempting to relocate his prostate as he inserted a second finger.

Arthur struggled for breath. "Oh god, you i- idiot..." He protested, but he sounded more anticipatory than mad and his scent echoed that.

The alpha brushed the spot again, watching as the omega's back arched like a bow.

Holy shit, sex was even better than he'd thought.


	15. Chapter 15

By the time Alfred had three thick fingers lodged in Arthur, thrusting with the enthusiasm of an amateur who had just learned how to properly do something and was quite keen on doing that thing for as long as he would be allowed to, the omega figured that he was probably ready.

It took twisting out of the alpha's hold to catch his breath, and perhaps his wits, to voice that sentiment, however. "E- enough, Alfred, I-- we can..." He inhaled deep before exhaling, looking to his bed partner with an encouraging smile. "We can move on to the next part now."

Alfred's scent, already thick and heavy with arousal, spiked now, cause a ripple of need to run through the omega that made his throat tight and his fingers twitch. "What do I do?" He was asked, blue eyes bright and warm and, more than that, thoroughly prepared to fuck the hell out of him.

Bedroom eyes.

"Lubricant." Arthur said, as though just realizing it. He turned to grab the bottle, not prepared for the feeling of heated palms curling around his thighs. A little bold, Arthur wriggled slightly. "Enjoying the view?"

He was rewarded with a sudden intake of air on Alfred's part. The alpha cursed and pulled him back and Arthur let him because the aggressiveness was cute and Alfred was being so careful with him despite that, always making sure to grip him in a way that wasn't too tight or too rough.

The alpha moved up behind him, hugging him, broad chest against his back, a comfortable warmth seeping into his skin. He then nipped his shoulder as though it were the most natural thing in the world and Arthur had to wonder if they had finally awoken the alpha's natural instincts or whether this was something else entirely.

"Do you want me from behind?" Arthur asked him coyly.

"No..." Alfred responded, sounding unsure. "I wanna be able to see you when we..." He trailed off. It was adorable.

"Okay." The omega said, complying with that rather sweet sentiment as he moved out of Alfred's hold to lie on his back, legs spread, holding out the bottle of lube which the alpha took only after giving him a very appreciative once over. "You'll need to slick yourself up with that."

Alfred nodded, pouring too much into his hand before rubbing the cold liquid over the length of his very alpha cock, Arthur watching with open interest at the sheen that coated it now, everything from the head to the slight knot glimmering in the bedroom light.

Oh, he _definitely_   wanted that inside of him.

 

Alfred put the bottle on the side table, feeling awkward but bolstered by everything as a strange sort of confidence took hold of him, making him feel alright in his own skin, the insecurities he felt before melting away as Arthur ushered him forward.

It didn't take too much to line up with the omega's entrance, having to hold his erection in order to make sure he didn't miss because it was so slippery, but once it started in he let go of it, the sudden, tight hotness overwhelming his senses. Time seemed both slow and fast as he sunk himself deeper and deeper until he couldn't _go_  any deeper, the very slight bulge at the bottom of his length, where his knot would form during a heat, gliding in without too much effort.

Arthur fucking _moaned_.

He could already feel the omega's walls shifting around him, fluttering licks of fire and friction. His mind almost felt blank due to how overwhelming all of this was and he had to take a deep breath in order not to get carried away. He wanted to savor this. He wanted this to last.

Catching Arthur's eye, the omega smiled at him, approving, a lewd look of satisfaction on his face. "You feel extraordinary, dear."

Alfred couldn't lie--he definitely preened at that.

The air was thick with scent like a busy hallway's might have been, but here it was only theirs, the heavy allure of a wanting omega and the weight of a more than willing alpha. It felt almost damp in a way, or perhaps that was just his body, skin flecked with beads of sweat from all they had done so far.

"You don't need my permission to start." Arthur teased encouragingly.

Alfred laughed slightly. He didn't need to be told twice.

He experimentally pulled out, feeling the hot slick glide of motion send electric sparks of pleasure through his body as he pushed back in. Arthur released a small cry.

It felt like a wire had snapped as everything that had held them back until this point disappeared.

Moving his hips was easy--it was instinct, plain and simple--and every time he did it Arthur would writhe or keen or beg or moan, the omega participating just as much as he was, slim hips tipping up to meet his own as he rocked into him, willing the alpha's length deeper and harder as soft strokes became needy crashes of flesh and careful hands became lifelines for purchase, Arthur's nails digging into his upper back as his own fingers gripped the omega's waist and helped tug him into the movements of their bodies.

And then something extraordinary happened.

"O- on your-- get on your-- back--," Arthur managed, and they flipped, Alfred rolling over with himself still very much buried in his partner, the omega straddling him.

And then he fucking _rode_  him.

Alfred knew this memory would be burned into his mind for the rest of his life because he had never seen anything quite like this before and he never wanted to forget it now that he had it. Arthur was on top of him, slimmer body undulating like an exotic dancer's as he used his and Alfred's legs for leverage, impaling himself on the alpha's cock as though it were some kind of Olympic sport and, by god, Arthur wanted to award him a medal even if it wasn't. Of course he tried to participate too, deepening the motion until they were mostly in tandem, rocking up and making the omega's head snap back as he moaned loudly enough that Francis could probably hear them next door.

Not that Alfred cared about Francis at the moment.

It was all he could do to roll over again, Arthur giving a surprised little noise as the omega was flipped onto his back, pinned, Alfred bent over him with the underside of Arthur's knees held up by his elbows. In moments they were at it again, but this time there was more of a closeness and intimacy to it as the omega bowed up to clutch at him, teeth kneading the skin of his shoulder roughly and making jolts of pain surge through him that he found he didn't actually mind. In fact it felt pretty damn good.

Alfred wasn't going to kid himself--he was quickly reaching his limit here. So he twisted his arm around to stroke Arthur's smaller length. The omega's entrance clamped down on him, making him groan as Arthur's body tried to cope with the sudden onslaught of pleasure. Less than a minute of this and the salty scent of omega fluids splashed into the air, the nearly palpable smell of sex making his senses go haywire as the omega's body spasmed beneath his own.

And then Arthur's teeth latched onto him, firm and hard and vice-like, and he smelled blood.

It was too much.

Alfred came.

Both were breathing hard as they parted, bodies slick with sweat and scent and fluids, a clear, seed-like substance pooling on Arthur's stomach and blood dripping down Alfred's shoulder. For a moment they just stared at each other, surprised, sated, maybe even shocked at just how good it had been. They said those who were compatible had the best sex, but it had seemed like something of an exaggeration or maybe even a sort of 'no shit they do' sort of assertion. Entirely redundant and based on nothing more than anecdotal evidence.

But with the way Arthur was looking at him now, face flushed, sharp inhales making his chest heave, and his eyes glimmering with something pleased and warm and happy...

Maybe it was true, after all.

The omega licked his lips, senses seeming to return to him as he quickly sat up. "Tissues." He said suddenly, as though an afterthought to whatever had been running through his mind, finding the box on the side table and quickly swiping his stomach clean.

Then, in moments, he was fussing over Alfred, cute white teeth gnawing his lower lip as his scent suddenly took on something worried--sour.

"You're bleeding..." The omega murmured, patting at the spot.

"Oh, um... I am?" Alfred said, although he had known that he was, but since attention was being drawn to it it sort of felt like he was realizing this for the first time. He frowned at Arthur's actions however, finding them odd. "Don't you want to lick it instead?"

Arthur's hand froze.

When mating marks were made--not that this was a mating mark but the general principle was the same--it was customary to lick it clean. Something about it being more intimate and solidifying the bond. The same held true for any other marks an alpha might make during sex and it certainly wasn't uncommon for a courting pair to partake in the activity. In fact it was considered proper.

However that was usually when the alpha marked the omega. The reverse was rather unheard of, at least as far as he knew.

Arthur was looking at him with so much uncertainty that he couldn't help but smile.

"That's what you want to do, right?" He encouraged. "You like marking your partners, so..."

The omega swallowed and then after a slight hesitation he nodded. "It... shouldn't really be encouraged..." He said at a length, as though repeating someone else's words.

Alfred smiled a little and shrugged. "You want to though, so..."

"Is that really alright?" Arthur asked him and in that moment the alpha was struck by how vulnerable he looked.

"Yeah." He assured, earnest.

Tissue discarded, the omega cautiously moved forward, leaning against him and then simply pausing there. Alfred wrapped his arms around him, hugging him, and he instantly felt that wound up body relax.

And then he felt the warmth of a wet tongue against his skin.

They weren't mates yet but maybe they would be someday. This mark would fade but maybe there would be more in the future. If Arthur wanted to stake his claim on him, then he'd let him.

And, to be honest, it made the alpha feel genuinely wanted.

It was a feeling that he hadn't ever really experienced before.

He hugged Arthur tighter as they lapsed into a comfortable silence, his heart giddily jumping in his chest as he realized that he never wanted to let go.


	16. Chapter 16

The past month or so, life had felt like a fairy tale.

But it was common knowledge how true fairy tales ended.

 

"Arthur, what do you think about kids?"

"Kids?" The omega repeated, looking up at Alfred from where he was cuddled in the crook of the alpha's arm. Sex had quickly become something of a norm for them after their first encounter, the two engaging in it as frequently and as often as possible, their combined hormones a cocktail of needy tension whenever they were together, whether alone or in public. By now they had desecrated nearly ever surface in Arthur's home and most of those in Alfred's. "What's this about kids?"

The alpha nuzzled the side of Arthur's head, taking in his scent. "Well... I dunno... I mean, we're kind of getting into that upper range, right? I just wanted to know what you thought about them."

"To have children we'd first need to mate, Alfred." The omega said softly, looking up to see if he could gauge the other man's reaction.

Alfred just grinned at him slightly and Arthur felt his face heat up. "I know."

Fidgeting with the sheets, the omega ran his tongue over his lip. "Well... if you're asking if I _like_ children then the answer is yes. I've... always wanted them." He admitted, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Most omegas would have jumped at the chance to gush about children but he had always tried to maintain that motherhood was not the be all, end all of an omega's existence.

That said, the truth was that he wanted children, whether it be hormones or his own will. He had daydreamed of little feet with little socks and sweet gurgling babbles and the warmth of a tiny bundle of his own that he could raise properly, without the hardship and fear that he had faced, whether omega, beta, or alpha. It was an idea he had long given up, his peak fertility tapering off in a few years time...

And yet here was Alfred--wonderful, perfect, Alfred--holding him with that bloody awful knowing smile and making his heart flutter in his chest.

"Do you wanna to make some with me?" The alpha murmured softly, so quiet it competed with the sound of his own heartbeat.

Arthur swallowed. "Are you asking to mate me?"

Alfred nodded against his head, those strong arms tightening around him slightly.

Tears welled up in the omega's eyes, sharp and sudden, the stinging welcome as his chest thudded painfully and his entire body filled with a wash of emotions--joy, love, hope, disbelief, and sheer happiness.

"Yes, you idiot!" Arthur exhaled, enthusiasm choked in his voice as he tackle-hugged his bed mate, the alpha laughing as he was pinned by the overwhelmed omega. "A thousand times yes!"

 

"Hey Matt, will you come over today? I've got something I want to--..." Alfred frowned, brow knitting as he held the phone to his ear. "Oh yeah, sure, you can bring Francis. That actually works out really well!"

Arthur watched his soon-to-be mate with open affection, toying with his cup of tea from his seat at the alpha's dining room table. The college student's apartment was sparse and not exactly as well-furnished as his own, but he liked it here. It was simple. It had charm.

"Alright, see you soon!" Alfred said, removing the phone and hitting the end call button. He flashed Arthur a smile. "They said they can actually visit this afternoon. I figured dinner and drinks to celebrate. What do you think?"

"That sounds lovely." Arthur told him, smiling as the alpha walked over and leaned down to kiss him.

"After we tell them we can tell my parents, okay? My mom has been dying to meet you."

"Oh?" Arthur mused, eyes suddenly bright.

"Yeah. She's been real busy with work lately, but every time she's called she's begged me to bring you over for dinner!" Alfred laughed.

A warmth spread through Arthur that was both unfamiliar and not, an ache in his body that made him feel light-headed. "I would love to meet her." He said, words delicate and sincere. "From what you've told me, she sounds like a wonderful woman."

"She is!" Alfred grinned. "We should announce it to your parents soon too! Well, I mean, I should probably get permission from your father if I want to--,"

"No." Arthur said suddenly, voice stern and thick like a wall. A cold feeling had gripped him, tearing the tentative warmth from his breast and leaving him breathless and wounded.

"No?" The alpha repeated, a little alarmed. Something in Arthur's scent must have tipped him off because he was holding the omega in seconds, bending over to hug him where he sat in the chair. "It's okay. We don't have to tell them if you don't want to."

Arthur took a shuddered breath but calmed, the warm spice scent of his soon-to-be mate making his body relax. "Thank you."

Alfred rubbed circles into his back before pulling away to smile at him gently. "I'll make you some more tea, okay? Chamomile and stuff. And then we can prepare for Matt and Francis."

The omega offered a weak smile at that, watching as his alpha went about setting up the electric kettle he'd recently bought for when Arthur visited, eyes lingering distantly on the man as he attempted once again to properly brew him a cup of tea.

He was perfect.

He was perfect and Arthur never wanted to subject him to the monstrosity that was his family.

Alfred didn't deserve that. No one deserved that.

 

"Mating? You two?" Francis said, brows arcing at the announcement. They had gone out for sushi, platters upon platters of fish between them as they sampled this and that, when Alfred had popped the news. "Are you sure you are prepared for something that like? Should you not wait a little longer?"

Alfred frowned at the other alpha. "Yeah. I mean, we've been dating for like three months now and it's not like we're gonna go and do it right away. We have to wait for a heat and all..."

"Yes, but you're still in college..." Francis pointed out, taking a sip of his sake before leveling Alfred with a look. "How close are you to finishing your degree?"

"Well, I'm sort of behind so it'll probably be another couple of years and--..."

"And this is exactly why you are not ready." Francis pressed.

"Excuse me, but don't I have any say in this?" Arthur spoke up, outright scowling at the Frenchman.

"Of course, _mon cher_ , but we both know you're judgement isn't exactly the best either..."

"Hey..." Matthew began looking at the others. "No need to fight, okay? If Alfred and Arthur want to--... want to mate then they can do that..."

Alfred grinned at his brother. "You think it's fine, don't you?" He asked, laughing at the idea of Francis' objections. "I mean it's not like it's gonna happen right away!"

Matthew hesitated and then began to worry his lip. "I... think maybe waiting might be best for you, Alfred. You're still in college and--,"

"And what of my salary? What of my savings?" Arthur challenged, his glower less fierce as it turned to the other omega. "I have been working for several years and--,"

"And taxing your body." Francis snipped. "You have pushed yourself too hard for years. Having a child could be a danger to your health if you conceive."

Verdant green eyes whipped back to the alpha, venomous. "I am not weaker for being an omega!" He yelled, the other patrons starting to notice the unrest at the table. "My body is just fine!"

"Quiet yourself-- look how upset you are getting over a mere observation..." Francis said, frowning.

"I don't know, I think it was kind of rude." Alfred defended.

"But isn't it true? Arthur was sick just recently from work and stress, wasn't he?" Matthew added. "And even if you have savings," he continued, looking at Arthur, "would that really last until Alfred can find and manage a proper job? Wouldn't that be risky?"

"Perhaps, but if we wait..." Arthur said, snapping his mouth shut the moment he realized his blunder.

"Ah, you fear infertility?" Francis sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Well, there is nothing for that. I have been telling you for years to simply settle down, but--,"

"But I did not want to until recently so the point is moot." Arthur said tensely.

Francis' gaze regarded the two, one at a time. "I do not think it wise, I will admit. You," he said to Arthur, "are not exactly built for the task, having strained yourself and neglected your eating and health. And you," he continued, looking at Alfred, "do not have the means through which to support him. Quite honestly I had hoped for your success with each other, but you are an unconventional pair. I merely wish to warn you of the hardships you may face."

Arthur kept glaring at him, his entire body tense. "How difficult is it to just wish us well and move on?"

The other alpha's expression soured at Arthur's continual challenging. "It would be foolish to simply wish you two well, given the circumstances."

"Why?" The omega was yelling again, this time unwilling to be shushed. "Because we're atypical? Because we don't fit your pretty little mold!? You didn't say a thing when Toris and Feliks mated off and they were both teenagers!"

Alfred looked between the two as Francis gave him a look that clearly read, 'Can't you rein him in a bit?'

"Don't think I've forgotten, Francis! How you called me defective in grade ten!"

Both Alfred and Matthew sent the alpha an incredulous look, a tight feeling of anger surging forth in the former's chest. He'd been irritated before this point, but he knew Arthur was capable of handling himself. Now, however, his muscles were beginning to twitch with a need to defend him.

" _Merde_ , I was drunk and you were in my face! I apologized--,"

"You still think it's true, don't you!" Arthur accused, slamming his hands down on the table and ignoring when a waiter came up to them with plea of, 'Sirs?'

"If the shoe fits..." Francis retorted acerbically, expression wry as though Arthur had just proven his point.

Alfred's fist connected with the other alpha's face.

It seconds they were grappling on the floor, each man going for blood as they tumbled along the tile as though this were a bar and not a family friendly restaurant, the other patrons exclaiming things in alarm as they fought.

"Bollocks! Get off of him, frog!" Arthur said once Francis rolled on top of Alfred, pinning him. The omega moved in to tug him off, leaning in to grab his forearm. "You're the one being a bloody--,"

As Francis' arm swung back to deliver a blow to his opponent, his elbow collided forcefully with the omega's head.

Arthur crumpled.

"You fucking asshole!" Alfred barked out as he shoved the other alpha off of him, Francis letting him up in his surprise. At Arthur's side in an instant, the younger alpha felt his heart freeze. "Shit, he's out cold..."

"Alfred, I am sorry, I did not mean to--," Francis began, but the other alpha cut him off.

"Just shut the fuck up." He said, voice low and feral, all of his instincts suddenly focused on the fact that Arthur was hurt, the one whom had hurt him standing only a few feet away. He was already on edge from the fighting, but now he was just a bundle of nerves, ready to fight anyone who even looked at them funny if it meant protecting his companion.

"Francis, let's go..." Matthew said, tugging at the other alpha who, at the very least, looked forlorn and remorseful.

"I will call you later." Francis promised Alfred before allowing the man's brother to lead him away. It was stupid, but he didn't bother to stop them, authorities be damned. Only Arthur mattered now.

As soon as they were gone, Alfred felt himself relax but only just slightly, worriedly brushing the omega's hair out of his face. "Hey..." He murmured, a tug in his chest when Arthur didn't respond.

"Sir, would you like for me to call the paramedics?" A female beta waitress asked, looking frantic.

Alfred nodded. "Y- yeah." He croaked.

Maybe it was an overreaction, but Arthur wasn't moving and he wasn't about to take any risks.


	17. Chapter 17

"I'm okay, Alfred. Really."

"Are you sure? I can call the nurse if--,"

"I'm _fine_." Arthur repeated, patting his hand. Alfred frowned, eyes sad, the sight of the omega in a green hospital gown making him feel uneasy.

And that was without the black eye Francis had inadvertently given him.

"If anything, I'm ashamed I went down so quickly..." Arthur said, looking irritated. "I used to be able to hold my own in a fight. He just caught me off guard."

"Arthur..." Alfred murmured, rubbing the omega's hand between his own.

For a moment the man in the hospital bed was silent, but then he sighed. "I shouldn't have intervened."

"It's okay." The alpha said, still rubbing the omega's hand, feeling each soft finger beneath his own.

"No, it's really not. I involved myself in a physical altercation between two alphas--I was practically asking to get hurt."

"You just wanted to stop us fighting..." Alfred said quietly.

"And that was wrong of me. Alphas fight for dominance and I was meddling."

"But that's 'cause you care about me!" He insisted, watching as Arthur's face flickered from stern to a fragile kind of hope and sadness. "You just did it 'cause you thought it was right! That was really brave!"

"Come here..." Arthur murmured, tugging his hand. Alfred stood up, slightly lost, until the omega guided him onto the bed with him, encouraging words directing the alpha to straddle him.

And then Arthur was touching him, inspecting him, brushing his hair away and fussing over little bruises and the scrape on his cheek.

"My dear, strong, wonderful alpha." Arthur told him, leaning up to kiss him.

Alfred pressed back into it eagerly, reassured immensely by the warmth and the feel of the omega's lips, letting him do as he pleased when Arthur took to deepening the gesture, his tongue a pleasant feeling against his own as it dipped into his mouth.

This was _his_ Arthur--his unusual, tenacious, feisty omega. Francis' and Matthew's words still stung, but for a moment he could forget all of that--his own security and anger--and focus on just this feeling. The warmth of affection and the strength of new love. He wanted him, he realized. And his hands wandered.

"Alfred..." Arthur muttered as he broke away from the kiss, laughing slightly as the alpha's fingers found the open back of his hospital gown. "We can't--..."

"Why not?" Alfred asked, grinning against the side of side of his neck. He nipped the sensitive skin there.

"Mm... We might get caught..." The omega murmured.

"So?" The alpha pressed, suckling now at the revealed curve of neck and shoulder. Hospital gowns weren't half bad, it seemed.

Arthur exhaled a soft laugh.

 

 

"I am truly sorry." Francis said, offering the two a basket of assorted items as he stood at the entrance to Alfred's apartment, a sheepish but equally apologetic Matthew at his side.

"Well?" Alfred asked Arthur, looking to the omega for confirmation.

Arthur just sighed. "Let them in. And I hope there's liquor in that basket!" He called as he wandered away to start on tea for their guests.

" _Merci_." Francis said, appearing almost humbled. Once inside Matthew went straight to the kitchen while the alphas lingered at the door.

Alfred looked at Francis.

"I have... had a lengthy discussion with your brother." The other alpha said, the regret clear in his face. "I think I... somehow lost control of myself. I have no excuse for my behaviour, but I did not mean to harm Arthur, and I do not foolishly believe that I will ever be able to make it up to him."

"... That's not really for me to decide." Alfred said, taking the basket when it was offered to him. Peering at it, his brow furrowed at the contents. Alcohol, chocolate, tea, and... little yellow baby socks.

"I _am_ happy for you two." Francis said earnestly. "I was out of line to say what I did before. I... should have known better."

Alfred looked at him. And then he sighed. "Look, I--... I appreciate this and Arthur will too, but there's something you gotta understand, okay?"

Francis looked nervous but eager. "Yes?"

"Arthur's not normal. I'm not normal. And that's okay. But if you make him feel bad about that fact again, I'll rip out your throat. We don't have to be like you and Matthew to be happy, understand?"

The other alpha hesitated, brows raising slightly before his expression turned to one of sincerity. "I do." Francis agreed sincerely. "Humorously, your brother came to the same conclusion. He said we were being unfair."

Alfred felt himself smile a little at that, considering how Matthew had always treated him. "You were." And then, after a moment, he looked at Francis and gave him a genuine look of gratitude. "Thanks for apologizing though."

 

 

"I am sorry I called you defective, Arthur." Francis apologized, despite the fact that the comment had been years ago and he had already made it up to him countless times.

"And?" The omega said, popping a piece of chocolate into his mouth.

"I am sorry I teased you about being single." Francis added.

"And?" Arthur continued, looking like a king might with his captured slave. Francis shot Alfred a look that said, 'Help me.'

"I am sorry I told our classmates that you leaked slick all over your chair when your heat came early."

Arthur choked on his chocolate, turning a flustered red as he managed to swallow it down. "You did what!?"

"O- oh? You didn't know?" Francis said, feigning surprise.

"They're quite a pair, aren't they..." Matthew murmured, helping Alfred in the kitchen. Homemade burgers didn't cook themselves, after all.

Alfred just grinned as Arthur started to verbally berate the other alpha, unable to help but think that he deserved every word of it.

"Hey, um... Al?"

"Yeah?" He asked, looking back at his brother.

"I'm... really sorry if I made you feel bad with-- when you started being interested in Arthur. When you told me... I feel like I should have-- I mean, I was... Sorry..."

Alfred smiled slightly. "It's okay." He said.

"It's not." Matthew insisted, looking ashamed. "But I guess I just-- I dunno..." It was when he rubbed at his eye that Alfred realized the extent of his distress.

"Hey, hey..." He said, pulling him into a hug. "It's alright. I promise."

Matthew squeezed back for a moment before pulling away. "S- sorry. I don't know what came over me. I just-- when you were struggling I wanted to help. I thought being... tough would help you..."

"It's okay. I'm your brother. You know, the little boy you used to sometimes beat in fights before we had types?" Alfred laughed, putting a hand on the omega's shoulder.

Matthew's lip quirked at that. "I'm still sorry..." He said.

"It's okay. I'm happy now. I'd just like it if you were happy for me--for us."

The omega smiled slightly. "I am."

 

 

Although off to a rocky start, things got better that evening as discussion turned to when Arthur thought his next heat was going to be and what they would do about living arrangements. It was an amiable affair, full of good food, good drink, and friends. Arthur hadn't quite forgiven Francis yet, but no one could blame him, and Alfred kept a close eye on the two, ready to police the other alpha if he stepped out of line even once.

Yet Alfred felt pretty damn optimistic about his future, all things considered. Yeah, it would be rough, but he felt like he was finally making progress. Everything was falling into place.

Until a phone call shattered it.

It came near the tail end of the evening, when things were fairly quiet, Matthew and Francis not yet prepared to leave but a sort of peaceful lull falling over the group.

Arthur's phone buzzed in his pocket and he took it out to look at the screen.

His face went completely white, scent spiking with anxiety so quickly that it was physically alarming.

"I... need to take this..." He managed, voice a mumbled whisper as he left the room.

Gripped with concern, Alfred followed after him.


	18. Chapter 18

Arthur felt cold.

"Hello?" He answered, the warmth from being with the closest thing he had to friends having fled him entirely. It wasn't every day that his father even acknowledged his existence, let alone called him, and his entire body radiated anxiety.

There was silence on the other end of the line for one terrifyingly long moment before he heard a heavy, masculine sigh. "You're alive, huh?"

"... Yes." Arthur murmured quietly, realizing that his father had likely received the bill for his medical expenses. He knew better than to apologize and ask if he could pay them himself. It was 'an insult to an alpha' for an omega to ask to pay for anything--more so if it was the head alpha of a family unit. Still, it didn't stop the gnawing feeling in his chest at having to rely on a man who hated him, however valid his reasoning.

"I called the hospital." The alpha on the line continued. Arthur wondered if he'd done that at the request of his mother, who still fussed over him a little whenever she was even allowed to contact him. The thought warmed him slightly as he thought about her warm scent and her soft smiles. She always smelled like roses. "The nurse said an alpha was with you."

Arthur worried his lip but quickly said, "Yes, sir."

"Same one from before?"

The omega frowned. "From before--?"

A growl sounded on the other end of the line, making him freeze up instinctively, the hairs on the back of his neck prickling, and it sounded like the alpha had shifted positions. "From when you were sick, lad."

"Yes." Arthur said, hoping he was right to assume it was Alfred whom had spoken to him. "Yes, the same one."

"He's mated you, then?"

"Not yet."

"... Not yet?" The alpha questioned, voice quiet and interested. He must have actually been sober, Arthur realized, to not be yelling at him already.

Arthur took a deep breath to steady himself.

"We... have decided to mate during my next heat." He told the man.

"Huh." His father muttered, sounding vaguely surprised. "Aren't you a little old?" He continued, sounding as though he were thinking aloud. "Your mum'll want to see the pups." And then, "Well, if you're not barren by this point. Still surprised anyone would want you now. Man must be wrong in the head." He said making the omega flinch. Hands shaking now, Arthur tried not to wince at the somewhat archaic terminology. It didn't actually bother him when people were old-fashioned, but knowing how his father acted it only reminded him of his childhood, although his childhood hadn't been entirely unpleasant.

Regardless, he wasn't sure if he wanted any potential children of his to be within the same _country_ as the man.

"Okay." Arthur said. It wasn't really an agreement, but he had no idea what to say.

"'Course, any male omega's gonna have a time even _having_ any, so she shouldn't get her hopes up." The man continued.

Arthur wilted, listening as the man on the other line continued to berate him for several minutes, fingers picking at the bed spread as his stomach churned, sick. Of course his father wasn't happy about him finally mating off--he was just concerned with the family line and dowries and pack rights. It was tiring.

"Guess I'll need to come for a visit. See this boy myself."

The omega felt every muscle in his body freeze, throat so tight he wouldn't have been able to speak even if he tried.

"I'll email you the date and time." The alpha continued, not all concerned with Arthur's silence.

And then,

"I suppose it'll be time to arrange to sell that bloody flower shop too. It's 'bout time you settled down."

"No, you can't--," Arthur said his mouth shutting with a snap that made his teeth click painfully. He held his breath, a sudden surge of fear welling up in him.

Silence.

And then more silence.

"I can't _what_ , lad?" His father practically growled, the head alpha on the other end of the line positively bristling at the slight.

Arthur lifted his head without thought, as though subconsciously bearing his throat for a man that wasn't there, years of training too deeply ingrained for him to ignore. Were he not used to this, he might have gone into a panic. "You... can't burden yourself... on a trip." The omega said, voice weak and low as he twisted his own words. "I'll... handle its sale..."

"My arse, you will..." The alpha muttered, seemingly appeased. "Just run your damned shop for now. I'll take care of it when I get there."

And then the line went dead with a click. No goodbye. Nothing.

Even as his body began to relax, Arthur could only stare numbly at his phone, his nerves alive with the type of fear commonly seen in rabbits.

A prey animal when confronted with its natural predator.

 

 

When Arthur opened the bedroom door, Alfred was there.

The alpha immediately pulled him into a tight hug, the scent clinging to his soon-to-be mate all he needed to know that Arthur needed him. He hadn't overheard the conversation, but that didn't matter.

And yet it alarmed him all the same when he heard a sniffle, the salty tang of tears seeping into the air when the omega clutched at him and broke down into gasping sobs.

Alfred had no idea what to do.

So he did the only thing he could do.

He stood there with him, letting him cry, rubbing his back, telling him things were going to be okay and nosing at his hair and temple, instinctively reassuring him with his scent and his presence. He was here. Arthur's alpha was here. It was okay. He would take care of him.

It was strange, feeling like he fit his role somehow. No book could have ever guided him through something like this.

And yet Arthur calmed after a few minutes, eyes red-rimmed, rubbing at them as though embarrassed as he mumbled something inaudible at Alfred's worried, 'Is everything okay?'

Then the omega went into the living room, walking past their concerned guests, and dug out a bottle of vodka from Alfred's cupboard. He poured a shot and downed it, not even wincing at the taste of the cheap, warm liquor.

Alfred got him a soda out of the fridge and Arthur went and sat down on the sofa, quiet. The alpha took the seat next to him, hoping it might bring him some comfort.

Francis and Matthew, to their credit, looked sympathetic but confused and more than a little concerned.

"Is... everything alright, _mon lapin?_ " The French alpha asked gently, his scent and tone oozing kind, protective alpha and, as charismatic as he was, Alfred wouldn't have been surprised if he could just turn that on like a switch.

It seemed like the will to be mad at Francis had flickered out like a damp candle because Arthur just shook his head, unaffected by the alpha's attempt to soothe him.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Alfred asked, voice quiet.

Arthur shook his head.

For a moment there was silence.

Then the omega's eyes flickered up to Matthew. "Actually... May I have a word with you?" He asked, voice as unstable as he appeared, creaky, scent still clearly a rolling bundle of upset.

Matthew nodded. "Yes. Of course." He said, standing when Arthur did and following him out of the room.

The bedroom door shut with a pointed click, the two alphas exchanging worried but perplexed looks.

 

 

Matthew didn't have a lot of experience with Arthur first hand, but he wanted to help and he knew enough about him to know that whatever was going on wasn't exactly good. As the other omega sat down on Alfred's bed, Matthew awkwardly joined him, the mattress sinking under his weight, the entire room a mingled mix of his brother and the other omega's scent. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the two slept here together frequently.

"You... have an alpha father and omega mother too, don't you?" Arthur suddenly asked. His voice was almost like a meek whisper and it made Matthew's chest ache.

"Yes." He told him. "Alfred and I do."

"My father wants to meet your brother." Arthur told him.

"I see." Matthew said, brows quirked with concern. He had no idea why Arthur was talking to him and not Alfred, but he didn't question it for the moment, knowing that there had to be _some_ reason. The other omega wasn't exactly a very open person, as far as he had observed.

Arthur took a breath and when Matthew looked up, to his dismay, those green eyes were on the verge of tears. "How do you _do_ it?"

"Huh?" He asked, not following.

"How do you act like an omega?"

Matthew felt something twist in his chest. "Oh, Arthur..."

The other omega's tears started streaming down his face and Arthur carelessly wiped at them. "I don't know what I'm going to do." He admitted. "He's so--... He's so _old fashioned_ and I just-- I don't..."

He frowned slightly as he watched him struggle for words.

"He... He's disowned me." Arthur admitted. "I don't even know why he's taking an interest in me now but I was-- I refused to... I mean..."

"It's okay." Matthew assured when he looked up. "Take your time."

"I... I refused an arranged marriage." Arthur admitted quietly. "I ran away and-- and he hates me now. I was supposed to be promised to some prominent German alpha, like some kind of business transaction and I... So he disowned me but now he's... And I just don't know. I don't know what he wants! How am I supposed to act when he--?" Arthur cut off, full on crying.

Matthew moved in to hug him, feeling more guilty than awkward as he reflected upon his own expectations of Arthur and... Alfred. He'd thought before he wasn't very omega-like and yet he'd only added to a worry that the man had clearly already had. Yet those were only thoughts. He'd told Alfred _directly_ that he wasn't very alpha-like and explained that he needed to fix that as though it were some kind of horrible, grievous flaw.

_And for what reason?_

Because Matthew thought that's what people were supposed to act like? He wasn't sure how to process any of this. But it jarred him slightly to realize something he hadn't before.

Arthur _wanted_ to act like an omega.

He wanted to because he wanted to fit in and yet he didn't because that wasn't who he was inside. If he could have changed that, he would have wanted to, even if it meant being someone he wasn't...

"I'm sorry." Matthew told him, for several reasons, one of which being because he had no idea how to help him other than to hug him now and hope for the best.

 

 

When the conversation finally ended and Matthew returned to the living room, he smelled like distressed omega and tears, the combination clearly Arthur's but setting Francis' nerves on edge all the same. The alpha wasn't surprised when Alfred quickly left the room in search of the other omega.

"Francis..." Matthew said once his brother had left, looking haggard. "We need to talk."

The alpha was fairly certain he wasn't going to like this conversation but he nodded and gestured for Matthew to sit down.

It seemed it was going to be a long night.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies in advance for any notable inconsistencies from this point onward.

Arthur tweaked the petal of a pink rose, deftly shifting it among the other flowers are he tried to scrutinize a proper arrangement. Pick-up bouquets were common enough that even without proper training he’d become quite good at it, but sometimes, when he wasn’t feeling entirely up to the task, the whole thing still felt immensely difficult.

It was late into the evening of a Thursday, Alfred was in one of his classes, and Francis had invited himself over to the after-hours shop with two cappuccino cups, one cradled in the alpha’s hands and the other untouched on the counter.

“Have you seen a doctor yet?” Francis asked mildly. They were still on sore terms, but Arthur had largely forgiven him, if only because the man was a persistent force in his life and the omega knew deep down that his words, no matter how blunt or cutting, weren’t designed simply to wound him.

Still, the question startled Arthur slightly, causing his hand to jerk, and one of the flowers fell out of place. He frowned.

“Perhaps.”

The alpha sipped at his drink. “I noticed the away sign on your door. That was during Alfred’s economics lecture, was it not?”

Arthur slid his gaze to the intruder in his shop. “Your point being…?”

“You are hiding the visit from him.” Francis concluded. “So, what did the doctor say?”

Of course. An omega’s mysterious absence on the cusp of huge decisions like waiting out a heat, mating, and hoping for a pregnancy. A doctor’s visit. It didn’t have to be a correct assumption, but in this case it was.

Arthur felt too tired to bother with hiding the fact that Francis had gotten it right.

“She said I’m one of five percent of unmated omegas my age and sex.” Which meant that ninety-five percent of male omegas were mated by the age of twenty-three. It was enough to make his stomach turn, being that behind the curve. “And my chances of conceiving are likely around only thirty percent. They’ll drop ten percent in the next year, ten percent the year after that, and then they’ll dwindle off entirely…”

The alpha exhaled a sigh that sounded surprisingly gutted. Then Francis issued a remorseful, “Then you should be trying… if you are so certain of your choice of mate…” It was less a question and more a general observation.

“Most mate off in high school, Francis.” Arthur said quietly. “It’s supposed to be act of one’s youth.”

“Most omegas have a family to fall back on, if things become rough.”

“Not all, though.” Arthur pointed out.

“I would love to know how that population functions.”

“Poorly and with government assistance.” Arthur stated crisply.

Francis drew his finger along the rim of his cup for a moment, thinking. The silence in the shop was companionable, if not heavy. They weren’t always friends, but times like these drew out the better parts of them. Arthur could recall a semi-recent incident when it was Francis, not himself, that sat in a chair brooding his misfortune. Oh, how the tides had turned once again.

The alpha sucked in a breath.

“At first I presumed you were rushing headfirst into this because you were desperate to be loved--to be _normal_. Is this not true?”

Arthur froze, suddenly feeling scalded.

The alpha continued, “You and Alfred are compatible, yes. Have you told him that you love him?”

Suddenly the vase was on its side, the flowers scattered from the force of the fall, bruised, and water splattered along the counter and slid over tile to puddle on the floor. Francis had stood in his shock, but now he remained there, simply staring at Arthur.

Arthur could feel his gaze, even as his eyes remained towards the flowers, unseeing.

“I haven’t.” The omega admitted after a brief silence. “I haven’t… said that. Not once. Not at all.”

He swallowed.

“God-- _am I?_ Am I just using him?” His breath picked up, quickening, as he tried to sort the multitude of thoughts that crashed down on him all at once. He heard a cup being set down as Francis approached him, designer shoes clicking on laminate flooring.

He turned, feeling frantic.

“Francis, do I treat Alfred poorly?” He asked, sincere. “I know most omegas-- they’re sweet and they dote and they cook. They’re… warm. And I bite him instead!”

The alpha was regarding him, brow furrowed.

“I like him, Francis.” Arthur said, twisted up inside. “I do-- but is it a fake feeling? I’ve never said I-- God, I never even _thought_ \--...”

Francis’ lip quirked. A laugh started up in that alpha throat that had Arthur’s grief swirling quickly into ire.

“Is my upset really so delightful to you?” He balked, openly offended.

“ _Non_ , _non_ \-- apologies. I just…” Francis collected himself, but the mirth was still there in his eyes. “I have just never seen you so broken about an alpha before, you know? The moment I pointed that out, ah… You turned positively _omega_ about him. Remember that ex of yours? The one with the piercings? You were swooning over him and I asked if you loved him and you said something along the lines of, oh…”

Arthur prickled with unease, because he had a feeling he remembered this.

“ ‘I love his cock.’ ”

“ _No_.” Arthur corrected haughtily. “It was his foreskin piercing.”

“Same difference.” The alpha said, dismissing it. “The point is that now you are tumbling into Alfred’s arms with a vigor I have never seen. Why is that?”

“Why--?” Arthur repeated, distracting himself somewhat with plucking the ruined flowers out of the water they were sitting in.

“What do you like about Alfred?”

“You want me to just list everything?”

“Indulge me.”

“Well, he’s…” Arthur hesitated. The answer wasn’t coming easy to him, but not for lack of anything to say. It just felt a little absurd and embarrassing, and his face began to heat. “He’s amazing, really. Certainly he’s an utter buffoon at times and he doesn’t know how to brew a cuppa to save his life, but…”

The omega bit his lip as the alpha behind him hummed encouragingly.

Arthur began laying the flowers out to allow them to dry. Perhaps they could be salvaged, somehow. “Well, he’s bloody attractive, for one. I’m not quite certain how a boy like that has remained single. It’s clear he’s been in sport. At first I expected a little pudge beneath that hoodie but, by God, you’d be surprised.”

The alpha snerked at him, but Arthur remained undaunted. You didn’t ask if you didn’t want a real answer, after all.

“His eyes are lovely, in addition to that. A blue-eyed blond… It’s so _rudely_ American it should be offensive.”

“But the British--,”

Arthur waved a hand, shutting him up. He wasn’t done. Francis was his only companion in this manner of discussion and now, with his attention focused on it, he was going to take full advantage. “His cock, however many partners I’ve had, leaves nothing to be desired.”

Francis made a noise that Arthur wasn’t sure was amused or vaguely disgusted. It was likely both. But then, “Those are all physical attributes.”

The omega looked at him, “Yes?”

“What about his personality?”

Arthur felt himself subdue a little at that. Commenting on attractiveness was the status quo between them. Going deeper than that…

It wasn’t as though he asked Francis how beloved he felt his one-night stands were, but perhaps this topic was different given the nature of it. Yes, of course it was.

Wandering into uncharted territory, Arthur began wiping up the counter with a rag. “Well…”

He had to organize himself a bit, mentally.

“He’s… perfect. Really. Everything. You’ve seen superhero films before, haven’t you? Alfred likes them something awful. But I’ve noticed that he’s not too far off from a few of those, erm, brighter fellows. I don’t think Alfred could even do something out of malignance, you know? I don’t think it’s possible for him. I’m honestly not sure how to deal with it. He’s so pure at times that I feel I’m sullying the boy…”

Francis made a neutral noise at that.

“I think he could be… a hero. In his own right. He just lacks confidence and I can’t fathom why. I don’t know who put it into his head that he wasn’t worth his salt, but I’d feel justified tracking them down and bludgeoning them.” He exclaimed, tremors of protectiveness rolling through him.

“Oh?” Francis said.

“I think he mistakes being a brute for being an alpha, at times, which is why believes he's lacking--but he punched you when insulted me. He can do those things, when it's warranted.”

“The valiant alpha defending his cherished omega…” Francis drawled.

“Indeed. Doesn’t it make you think of an alpha knight and his omega prince?”

“I hope this does not mean you are going to deliberately motivate him to fight for you…”

“ _God no!_ ” Arthur barked, having to spare the other man an appalled look. “I’d much prefer he allowed _me_ to punch you instead--I mean, I'm delighted he felt so strongly, but what if it hadn’t been you? What if it had been someone try to mug me with a knife? Do you know what could happen to an alpha that just rushes in like that?”

Francis made a cricking hiss of a noise as he drew his index along his neck, imitating a throat being slit.

“Precisely!” Arthur concluded, satisfied. “It bothers me, endlessly. He’s alpha alright. It’s in there. Perhaps it’s on wobbly feet at the moment, but I can see it in him. He lets me bite him but, you know… I think it’s out of love. And, well, he does seem to enjoy it a little too, but I think it still just comes down to love.”

Arthur paused, hand hovering over the tap with the intention of washing his hands.

“... And I think I love him too. Truly. I don’t want him to ever suffer injury; it would crush me if something were to happen to him. I can’t imagine it-- _I don’t want to_.” His eyes stung a bit just at saying that. “So what if our finances are short and my father is a belligerent ape and we fall into extreme poverty? Wealth doesn’t make me happy--it _never_ has. Alfred does, however. I’d wish to carry a child for him even if it killed m--,”

Arms circled around the omega’s waist suddenly, close and invasive as a body pressed up against him, and at first he was prepared to stab Francis with his stem-cutting scissors when he finally inhaled and:

_Alfred._

Arthur went rigid with shock, uncomprehending.

“You’re back from your class early…” He commented breathlessly.

“Mhm.” Alfred hummed into his neck, the noise sounding strangely emotional for being so short.

Arthur swallowed, inhaled the alpha’s scent once more, and noted the way the deep spices swirled together, complex and shifting, complemented by a wavering flutter of something that was so strong and sweet he could almost taste it. Tears started to bead in his eyes, but they didn’t fall, and they weren’t unhappy ones.

“How much did you hear?”

Alfred sucked in a breath through Arthur’s shirt. “A lot.” The words were muffled.

Francis had been playing him, Arthur realized.

He didn’t even know if the alpha was still there anymore or if he’d stepped out. Honestly, he didn’t care.

Gripping the arms looped around him, Arthur felt himself relax into the embrace, wishing he could sink into his partner and never, ever leave.

“I love you, Alfred.”

He felt the alpha jolt slightly before that likely damp face was nuzzling against his neck.

“I love you.” Arthur repeated again. “I love you, I love you, I love you…”

Alfred began to tremble with something he could just barely identify as laughter. The alpha surfaced, voice sounding wet and creaky as he asked, “You really think I’m like a hero?”

“I know you certainly saved me.” Arthur managed, feeling absolutely ridiculous for it, but he couldn’t help it when his mind had been rendered to nothing more than putty.

Alfred’s breath came out in burst--another laugh of sorts or perhaps just a joyous exhalation. And then the alpha squeezed him, “I love you too.”

Arthur twisted around in Alfred’s hold in order to kiss him.


End file.
